I sat down in a meeting to hear the concerns of a parent. With a sincere heart, she asked, “Why don’t the youth get released from the service like the children? They won’t understand what’s being taught in the sanctuary.”
It’s a common question—one I’ve heard more than once. And to be honest, I understand why parents ask it. Many parents want their kids to experience teaching that’s age-appropriate and accessible. But every time I hear it, something deep inside me tightens. Behind that question, I also hear an assumption: Our youth don’t belong in the broader body. Their presence in “big church” is optional at best and burdensome at worst.
I didn’t grow up attending a youth group. In many black churches, youth group—as we have come to know them today—looks different. There was no youth pastor, only lay leaders. There were no regular Wednesday night gatherings. There were the occasional youth gatherings to do things together. As Pastor Frank Gil said as a guest on KB’s Southside Rabbi podcast, “Youth ministry is a luxury.” It is a luxury that most urban black churches don’t get to experience.
An Unwelcome Problem or a Welcomed Participant?
Youth were by and large in the Sunday service. It is one thing to be in the service, most often forced, but it is another thing to be a part of the service. You see, I come from a tradition where youth were often seen as a problem to be managed, not disciples to be formed. Maybe you’ve heard phrases like: “Kids are to be seen and not heard.” “Don’t speak unless spoken to.” Or the classic: “Do as I say, not as I do.” And heaven forbid you question a church mother—you might hear a sharp, “Because I said so!”
These were the messages passed down to many of us. Messages that unintentionally taught children to keep quiet in the presence of God’s people, rather than grow into their voice as part of God’s family. And while we’ve come a long way, the remnants of that mindset still show up, sometimes in subtle, well-meaning ways.
When we believe that young people “won’t understand,” we miss the opportunity to let them experience what God is doing in the sanctuary. We rob them of witnessing faith in action—of watching seasoned saints worship through suffering, pray with power, and testify to God’s faithfulness. We separate them from the stories that could shape their own. Scripture gives us a better vision of intergenerational integration, one that is not quick to exclude children and youth, but includes them within the life of the church.
Tell Them of God’s Greatness
In Psalms 145:3-7, David gives us a clear vision of the church, young and old sitting side by side. David challenges the older saints with a specific mandate: Tell! Tell of God’s greatness! He says, “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts” (Ps. 145:4). Gathering the youth is not about dumbing down the message. In my experience, students want to see authentic faith. They want to know that we, older saints, really believe the things we say. They are not content with doing what we say and not as we do.
Hypocrisy has so many walking away from the church. Students need to see our faith lived out through all of our imperfections, because it points to a God whom we trust and who is perfecting our faith. We commend God’s mighty work to the youth: his glorious splendor, his greatness, his abundant goodness.
How will they know how to hold onto these truths when life gets hard and God seems absent? How will they know to hold on to God’s glorious splendor when life feels like a nightmare? How will they hold on to the truth of God’s greatness when things seem terrible around them? How do they hold to the truth of God’s goodness when the world around them feels bad? How will they know unless we show them?
Where Do They Belong?
At the last Wednesday night meeting of my very first year serving as a youth pastor, a student communicated something to the group that convicted me and informed me why I believe students should stay in service. She looked at the group with her concerned eyes and said, “Now that I will be too old to be a part of the youth group, what do I do now?”
This is a very important question. The problem with separating students from the broader church in an attempt to “communicate the truths of Scripture at their level” is that we unintentionally communicate that there is no place for them in the broader church. Young people begin to see church through the lens of their youth ministry experience. And once they age out, they feel lost. If they don’t experience “big church,” they don’t feel welcomed. If they don’t feel valued in the broader church, they start to feel like there is no place for them.
Christ Died to Bring Young and Old Together
Here is the thing: God the Father did not send his Son into the world to build a segmented kingdom, divided by age groups, but to form a family. Jesus did not say, “Let the adults come to me.” He said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them” (Mark 10:14). The kingdom of God has always included the young.
At the cross, Jesus bore our sin—the hypocrisy, the pride, the impatience, the generational wounds. He died not only to reconcile us to God but to reconcile us to one another. The church is not a collection of small groups separated by age; it is a redeemed family gathered around a crucified and risen Savior.
When we integrate generations in worship, we are not just practicing a strategy—we are displaying the gospel. Older saints proclaim, “God has been faithful.” Younger saints respond, “Then maybe he will be faithful to me too.” The older generation carries scars that testify to God’s sustaining grace. The younger generation carries questions that remind us to keep trusting. Together, we embody the truth that salvation is for all ages.
Moving From Presence to Participation
As we consider how to serve students in the urban, black church, we must move from presence to participation. We must allow students to see imperfect faith being perfected by a perfect Savior in the lives of older saints. We must resist the assumption that they don’t “understand” and trust that his word will not return void in their lives.
Intergenerational integration is not about abandoning youth ministry. It is about remembering that youth ministry was never meant to replace the church—it was meant to serve the church. Psalm 145 gives us a clear vision. A vision where the older declare his mighty acts, the younger learn to trust his mighty acts, and together, the whole church proclaims God’s greatness.
Let’s every generation tell! The gospel is too glorious to be siloed. The church is too beautiful and important to be divided by age.
Look through more of our posts about the importance and presence of Rooted’s five pillars in the Black church.
