by A. D. McDowell

Created on: May 02, 2008

Wow! The diverse universe of being a teenager in America! From mohawks to hip-hop, artists to geeks, the Church is made up of a vast population of young people. It is some one's responsibility to lead them and you are the chosen one. So where do you start?

First and foremost, it is imperative that you have an unconditional heart's desire to be a Youth Leader. Let's start there. If kids and teens get on your nerves and you can't stand the thought of putting up with all the issues and drama, then exit quickly! However, if you are ready to face every issue and go through every stage of growth with your youth group, then welcome aboard to the most exciting, challenging and rewarding role of your life.

Teens these days are bombarded with everything imaginable. From drugs, sex, peer-pressure, gangs, violence and self esteem issues, to challenges in their faith and spiritual desire to know God better. It's not easy being a teen. Remember when you were that age? If it was over 10 years ago, you need to take every challenge you had at that age and times it by 100.

This current generation is not looking for some one to sugar coat the truth. The world around them is a hard reality and up in their face. To gain their respect, you need to be the same, only with a spirit of love. Don't sugar coat the reality of life to them. You must be able to reach them on their level and help tackle the issues that they face. They are looking for answers and are looking to you as their leader to provide them. It's important that you know, I mean really know, your youth. You will experience every up and down with them along the way.

Speak with your Pastor and see what resources are available to you in order to provide an exciting place for teens to meet. Maybe you have resources to create a Christian Teen Center. However, if you are on a budget, the minimum paint and solicited artistic ability will go a long way. Let your youth get involved in building the ministry. Allow them to come up with ideas on what their meeting place will look like. Do you have a creative name to call yourself? By letting them be a part of the ministry, they too take ownership in something they can be proud of.

Once you've settled on a name and theme for your room, allow your talented artsts in the bunch go to work. There are hundreds of different themes out there. Maybe you want the "club" look, with black lights and all. Coffee shops are a popular thing these days too and salvage furniture is a good place to start. Get creative. For the musically inclined, maybe they can start a youth band to perfom during meetings and community events. And lets not forget the geeks, you'll need them for all the technical planning and anything involving budgeting to sound system set up.

Planned out curriculum is a place to start regarding Bible lessons. Your local Christian book suppliers should have youth devotions and lesson plans. But, it is important to break out of the mold of pre-planned classes. Open forums and discussions work well and allow the youth to pose questions they need answers to. For those really tough issues, allow them to break up into groups, discuss their views, research the Bible for answers and present their findings to the group.

Being involved in shaping the life of a young person is very rewarding, yet hard work that takes dedication. These are just a few tips to get you started. Once you are on your way, follow your heart and doors will open up in ways you never thought possible.

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