Principles: Principles of Working with Young People

PRINCIPLES OF WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE

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There is nothing more exciting and challenging than working with young people. Often adults have a real desire to work with teenagers, but they just don't know where to begin. The following is a list of common sense principals that will provide a starting point for working with teenagers.

GO WHERE THE KIDS ARE
The Great Commission encourages us to "Go and Tell." Yet over the years in Christendom there seems to have a subtle reversal of the Great Commission. We now seem to say, "Come and Hear." Come to my Sunday School class, our revival, our worship service, etc. There is nothing wrong with these activities, but they will never take the place of lifestyle evangelism. We, as youth workers, must spend time being where kids are: at school, sports activities, teen hangouts, pizza places, etc. Go where the kids are.

ACCEPT THEM AS THEY ARE
Don't try to change kids. That's not our job. Changing them is the job of God through the Holy Spirit. Our responsibility is to communicate God's unconditional love for them. You don't have to like the way they dress, the things they do, or even what they say, but you must be willing to accept them as they are. As they see your unconditional love and acceptance of them, and as God begins to move on their hearts—change will take place soon enough.

LEARN HOW TO WALK IN WISDOM TO THOSE OUTSIDE THE FAITH
(Colossians 4:5-6)
Many young people, both within and outside of youth groups, have not committed their lives to the Lord. Evangelism is something you do as you go. Our lifestyle ought to be such that there is a quality in our life that distinguishes us from outsiders.  Some characteristics of the lifestyle of a believer are: consistent, sensitivity, a listening ear, love, faith, peace, caution (Col. 2:6; Eph. 5:15) Christ-likeness, etc.

SEE THE DIGNITY OF EACH UNIQUE PERSON
Probably one of the greatest problems that is common to all young people is a low self-image. It is our opportunity, our privilege to help young people experience what "being made in God's image" is all about. We can help them discover their individual worth, their unique talents, gifts, and abilities. And, after they have committed their lives to Christ, we can help them discover their inheritance as a child of God.

FIND A NEUTRAL SETTING FOR YOUTH MEETINGS
This principle is primarily concerned with those young people who are outside the faith. A young person who is not a Christian is very skeptical, to say the least, about going to church. At worst, his or her parents may have had some negative experiences with church people which would dampen his or her enthusiasm for going to church. At best, the non-Christian young person would hesitate when asked to go to church simply because of his fear of the unknown. We find meeting homes or civic clubs provide an informality that communicates friendship.

SPEAK NATURALLY IN TERMS FAMILIAR TO KIDS
Kids do not want to be "preached at." They want to share your experience and faith with them as a mature adult. Always keep in mind where they are in their walk with Christ, and speak to their experience level. Use illustrations with which they can identify.  However, in your attempt to identify, don't make the mistake of living out extended adolescence. Young people need an adult model, an adult who happens to have the skills and desire to work with young people, not a young person who occasionally visits the world of adults.

CREATE AN INFORMAL CLIMATE
Teens need to sense that they are getting together with a group of friends, not that they are coming to a meeting. Young people should have a good, enjoyable time at your meetings. Assuming there is spiritual input and the time together is enjoyable, not only will young people continue coming, but they will also invite their friends.

COMMUNICATE YOUR CERTAINTIES RATHER THAN FLAUNT YOUR DOUBTS
None of us will ever be able to totally comprehend all the truth of the Bible. There are some passages that we will struggle to understand and others we may never understand. Will Rogers once said, "It is not the part of the Bible that I don't understand that bothers me, it is the part I do understand that bothers me." We need to share those truths that have become reality in our experience, and not "dump" our doubts on kids.

CONSIDER IT A SIN TO BORE A KID, ESPECIALLY WITH THE GOSPEL
Life is a great adventure. Jesus Christ was the most exciting person who ever lived. Every relationship that we develop with a teenager, every meeting that we have, should project the excitement of living life to its fullest. Kids need to feel free to speak and do, laugh at themselves, and feel a part of what's happening. Nowhere in scripture do we find one account of where Jesus or one of His followers ever bored a group of people. It would be horrible if, after Campus Life, one of our kids went home and wrote in her dairy, "It was a perfect bore. Sat through the whole thing and will regret it the rest of my life."

BUILD ON KIDS' INSTINCT FOR ADVENTURE
Teenagers have a real desire to do the unique, the unusual, the different. Rafting trips, manhunts, mud bowls, gym nights, ski trips, etc., will add real zip to your youth program. Often skits and crowd-breakers can vicariously build on kids' instinct for adventure.

CAPITALIZE ON THE ELEMENTS OF GOOD HUMOR MUSIC TO ESTABLISH AN OPENNESS TO THE GOSPEL
Every program should have something that causes the meeting to have an atmosphere of informality and fun. Crowd-breakers, skits, films, etc. can make each meeting different. Your meetings will never be boring if these are planned properly. Kids love music and really enjoy singing.

DISCIPLE STUDENTS
After a young person commits his/her life to the Christ, it is important to rapidly get them grounded in the disciplines of the Christian life: the importance of fellowship and belonging to a church, quiet time or personal devotions, prayer, how to study the Bible, scripture memory, how to take notes in Sunday School and from the pastor's sermons, how to share his/her faith, etc.