An Argument Against Youth Ministries

All around us we see churches pandering to young people with every possible game and recreational attraction under the sun. A church of Christ in the Metroplex has built a colossal two-story game room that cost more to build than our entire new building will cost and is larger! Unfortunately, many churches of Christ are just taking their cues from the denominational world. Those churches have been employing fun and games ministers ("youth ministers") for years, offering outings and trips and fun of every kind.

Yet it doesn't take much to figure out that most youth today are not very spiritual minded. Go to the mall. Watch the news. Immodest dressing, rude behavior, stats on teen sex and drug abuse, a lack of respect for authority, greed and materialism; they are seen and heard everywhere. It all screams out that decades of the fun and games gospel have done little to really change young people.

I believe there are excellent biblical arguments to be made against such "ministries." They are without authority, and without sanction from the Head of the church, Jesus Christ. However, they fail another test as well: the test of practicality. When are we going to admit that you cannot make teens better disciples by feeding them pizza and letting them play video games? It is the word of God "that builds up" (Acts 20:32), not mindless pleasure. Fun is great in its place but having a great time doesn't make anyone a committed Christian, does it?

As an alternative I think about our Youth Lectures and our junior high-high school devotionals. At Youth Lectures we set attendance records as huge numbers of kids came to hear Gospel preaching. Most youth experts would say they wouldn' come for such, but without the promise of meals, recreation, entertainment or fun of any kind hundreds of kids from all across Texas did come, didn't they? And they were made better disciples by God's word.

Last Sunday night I stepped into a room filled with thirty-one teens. It was late, and they had all been to Bible class, and two worship services. They came anyway. They came without expecting any entertainment or fun and games. They were there to study God's word. Again, God's word was opened and serious questions about what it is to be a Christian were spoken of. Again, young people were truly built up in Christ.

Activities like Youth Lectures and our devotionals are a very different approach with young people. They differ radically from conventional wisdom about what must be done to retain young people and what they demand and expect. Yet the world's view is manifestly failing, failing God and failing young people. Perhaps it is time more people took a look at God's simple, practical, workable way: teaching young people the Word of God. We're glad to be doing that at Westside.