@Orchidaceae 28 April 2021

A Time of Exigency

A generation ago, youth ministry was virtually synonymous with high school ministry. All of the major Christian youth movements, such as Youth for Christ and Young Life, were aimed at high school teenagers, and in many aspects, still are. Junior highers were still considered children-too immature. But times have changed. It was in 1979 that Dr. Urie Bronfenbrenner of Cornell University observed, "The adolescents today are the 12-year-olds, and the 11-year-olds, and the 10-year-olds. That is, they are having the experiences that five years earlier, adolescents didn't have until they were 13, 14, and 15; and they, in turn, are having the experiences that adolescents used to have when they were 16, 17, and 18."

A few years later Dr. Victor Stursburger of the American Academy of Pediatrics wrote: "Short of being in a war, these are the most dangerous times adolescents have ever had to face. There are more choices teens have to make at younger ages and less guidance to make those choices. Now, 14-year-olds are having to decide Am I going have s*x or not? Am I going to use drugs or not? Am I going to drink alcohol or not?' Two generations ago those decisions were made in college. A generation ago they were made in high school. Now they're being made in junior high school."

And the trend has continued. All of us know of eight-, nine, and 0-year-olds who are struggling with issues that in previous gener- ations were reserved for the teen years and beyond. The cutting edge of youth ministry in today's church is at the junior high and middle school level. This is not to say that high school ministry is any less important now than it ever has been-but more and more youth workers are recognizing that if youth ministry is to be taken seriously at all, then junior high ministry has to be given a higher priority.

On the Niagara River, there is a place called Redemption Point. It is this spot that is considered to be the last reasonable rescue opportunity for people who have been caught adrift in the river. If people are swept into the river and drift beyond Redemption Point, attempts to fish them out will be fruitless; they will plunge over the raging waterfall and most surely die. All resources, therefore, are implemented to snatch people from the river before Redemption Point. I believe that junior highers have reached Redemption Point, It is here that their developmental course will largely be set for life. "To a many young people at this age are in danger of "going over the fall with little chance of rescue. Now is the time for the church to implement every available resource to reach out to these kids before we lose them. Adolescent psychologist Gary Downing, who has also served as church youth minister, expresses it well:

Because early adolescent growth has accelerated so much over the last 20 years... we must rethink our assumptions, our strategies, and our programs in order to respond to the changing needs of kids. We must overcome our ignorance, apathy, and our stereotypes so that we do not lose a whole generation of people so desperately in need of our love and concern. We cannot afford to dismiss this young subculture as "too squirrelly, too energetic, too disrespectful, or too shallow" to be worthy of our time and resources.We cannot expect to "warehouse" this group for several years and expect that they will be waiting for us when we decide we are ready for them. They won't be there tomorrow because we aren't here today when they need us the most." The junior high years offer us a unique opportunity for ministry in the local church. At no other time in a person's life are so many options considered, changes made, and ives snaped. It is not a time for baby-sitting but for loving attention. we need to surround our junior highers with caring adults who are interested in them and willing to mentor them in the Christian faith. "The most cost-effective program in any church is a strong junior high department," says Doug Murren, a pastor and leader in the modern church-growth movement. "Junior high school is the make- it-or-break-it time for children, in my opinion.... Our best efforts and budgeting need to be aimed at doing a good job with kids in this age bracket."

I have always loved the picture that Scripture provides of the boy Jesus,coming of age as a young adolescent. Luke tells the story-perhaps with a smile on his face as he writes-of a 12-year-old boy separating from his parents (literally) and beginning his preparation for life as an adult. When Mary and Joseph finally catch up with him, they find him in the temple courts sitting with the teachers, "listening to them and asking them questions." He wasn't shown to the playground or led off to the youth group for fun and games. Instead he was treated with dignity and respect and given the attention that he deserved. And remember that these teachers didn't realize who he was. They didnt know they were talking to the Son of God. That's why Luke comments that "they were amazed at his understanding." I am impressed with these teachers who were willing to take time to listen to a 12-year-old boy. What do you expect from junior highers? Too many people in the church answer, "Not much." But the time has come for a new way of thinking about this age group. I believe that if we start taking junior highers seriously, and begin to give them the kind of attention they deserve, even skeptics will be amazed. Every year his parents went to Jerusalem fof the Feast of thePassover. When he was 12years old, they went up to the Feast, according to thecustom. After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. -Luke 2:41-47 -Orchidaceae