Serving Teenagers from Immigrant Families
Our Savior calls us to love all our neighbors, whatever their culture and wherever their native home.
Whether you are similarly serving in a cultural heritage church setting as someone not from that culture, or you’re serving cross-culturally in a different context, I pray these three exhortations will be helpful in your ministry.
Our Savior calls us to love all our neighbors, whatever their culture and wherever their native home.
In light of the gospel, there’s no shame or condemnation for those in Christ (Rom. 8:1), and the Lord opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).
In my teens and twenties, I wrestled with my need and longing to be known and loved by my parents in ways I could comprehend. With a language barrier in the home, it was a challenge just to communicate about superficial matters, never mind the deep things.
The Jesus I came to know did not ask me to just try harder fix myself, but to come to him in honest confession of my sin, trusting his power to save.
To encourage and equip parents in their disciple-making role, we need to engage the relational pillars of their cultural framework with humility and winsomeness.
When young people are connected and cared for by people of all ages in the church, they are anchored to the community.