Faith Lab: 40 percent less

As you look around you will being to see the signs beginning to crop up with slashed prices, announcements of big savings, markdowns of up to 80% off. 

These are great deals they are things that entice us to buy goods that we might be thinking about or that we don’t really need at all, but how could you turn away a deal like this or like that.  We love it when we get 40% off of something, but what if the tables were turned?  What if 40% of something of yours was taken away?  How would you feel if 40% of your time with your best friend, spouse or pet was gone?  Not too great!

This is exactly what is happening to our young people.  In Andrew Root and Kenda Creasy Dean’s new book, “A theological Turn in Youth Ministry,”  They report that research has found that parents spend 40% less time with their teens than the previous generation.  Now we have known for a long time that there has been a decline in parent teen relationships, but 40%!!!! WOW, that is staggering to me. 

Parents are still the primary faith mentors of the family.  They are the ones who pass on faith to their kids.  As kids become teens, though the relationships may become strained, parents are still the big faith influence (with peers closer behind). 

So how does the church respond to this?

• We first have to realize that we cannot duplicate the role of parent in the teens lives.  Yet we need caring adults to realize that our students are in need regardless of their home situations.
• We have to take the baptismal covenant seriously and remember that we (the church) promised to help raise up these young ones in the faith. 
• In our programming we have to be aware that the church can add to the noise of disconnect.  Maybe plan some intentional family time opportunities where students and parents can be in faith conversations. 
• We need to be intentional to pray for students and their families and faith may be passed down from generation to generations. 

  I am running on coffee fumes at the moment and I am sure I have left some things out that I wanted to include.  These are my initial thoughts but I would love to hear yours.

Blessings

Chris