May our youth ministries be brave places where all students belong, where grace and truth exist in equal measure, and where the good news of Jesus rescues students wrestling with sexuality and gender just as he has rescued us.
As we seek to lead teenagers in the midst of depression and isolation, we must turn to the Bible as our resource for equipping them.
“Jesus doesn’t see people as we see them. He can bring order out of chaos, light out of darkness, healing out of pain.”
Cheers to the tough kids, and to the opportunity we have as ministers of the gospel to show them the ways of Jesus, giving them a place to belong.
Most likely, a student isn’t disrupting your group time out of malice. Take the opportunity to be curious about what’s going on in his or her life.
It is wise for us to be aware of our sin tendencies: are we more inclined to cut the speaker off to regain control, or are we more inclined to hide from confrontation?
When nonbelievers show up to your group, the most important thing you can do is to include them as part of your gospel ministry.
Our primary hope is not that our students would stop having anxiety, but that the glorious grace of Jesus would become louder than anxiety’s buzz.
We get to tell teenagers the good news that neither they nor their peers need to earn their place. Jesus offers us his radical welcome, and then he empowers us to live in a new way.
