One Eared Mickey Mouse

By Andy Herndon

So right off the bat many of you are probably thinking that this post is Andy trying to link Mickey Mouse and Disney to some spiritual concept in the Bible. You all know me too well, but that is not what this post is about. I want to talk about the church and youth ministry.

The church is made up of so many different elements. Different people, ages, backgrounds, and ministries; the church is a melting pot to say the least. There is a desire in many churches to reach those who do not know Jesus and to let Jesus change their lives. This includes reaching teenagers who are at a formative time in their lives. Often, the decisions that are made during this time will affect the trajectory of the rest of a teen’s life.

Out of a desire to reach teens within the church and those on the outside, churches began youth ministries in the 1950s. Much like children or senior ministries, youth ministry was designed to reach that specific age group with relevant teaching, activities and meetings. Since that time youth ministry has taken off, and can be found in the majority of evangelical churches today.

There has been a trend in youth ministry over the years though. Youth ministries often grow large and can look very different than the church to which they belong. Often times, for many teens, the weekly youth group meeting is the only “church” they ever attend. Over time the youth ministry and the church become like a one-eared Mickey Mouse: it’s a ministry that the church supports with volunteers, space, and resources, but it’s still separate. Teens don’t get to see the family of God together, gathered to connect, grow and serve. The rest of the church loses out on an opportunity to pour the Gospel into the life of a student.

My heart as a youth pastor is to move teens into fellowship within the local  church as they grow closer to Christ. The people within the church have so much they can offer to teens, such as knowledge, wisdom, experience, a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. Teens offer vitality, energy, new perspective and are the future of the church. We need each other.
More than ever, teenagers need positive adult role models who love and follow Jesus. What does it look like when the church connects teens to Christ, grows with them in maturity in Christ, and serves with them? Over the next few weeks I want to explore what it looks like for the church to engage teens in and out of the church.