Youth and Relationships
Pastor Rex DeckardCalvary Apostolic Church
Many young people Many young people struggle with loneliness, struggle with loneliness,
feelings of feelings of worthlessness, worthlessness,
relativistic confusions, relativistic confusions, anger, hurt, anger, hurt,
meaninglessness, meaninglessness, indifference, and unmet indifference, and unmet
needs.needs.
Only 12% of people Only 12% of people under 18 are coming to under 18 are coming to church in America. Even church in America. Even worse, only 10% of these worse, only 10% of these people continue going to people continue going to
church when they are church when they are adults.adults.
Eighty-eight percent of America’s more than 30 million teenagers are un-
churched. Of the 12 percent who do currently attend church, 80 percent will stop attending before they graduate from high
school.
Surveys show that 90 percent of
people who give their lives to Christ do so before the
age of 30.
Nearly 50% of the Nearly 50% of the world’s population is world’s population is
under 25. In most under 25. In most countries in the countries in the
developing world, developing world, 50% of the 50% of the
population is under population is under 15.15.
There are more than 3.5 There are more than 3.5 billion people on the billion people on the
planet who are under 20 planet who are under 20 years of age. Sadly, if years of age. Sadly, if they live to adulthood, they live to adulthood,
many of these dear many of these dear young people will not young people will not
become Christians and become Christians and spend eternity without spend eternity without
God.God.
Youth today have never Youth today have never heard of 45s or Henry heard of 45s or Henry
Kissinger. They have never Kissinger. They have never known a world without known a world without
microwaves, cell phones, microwaves, cell phones, and video games. They and video games. They
have also never known a have also never known a world without AIDS, car-world without AIDS, car-
jackings, child abductions, jackings, child abductions, gang wars, and internet gang wars, and internet
pornography. pornography.
When you asked When you asked them for their address them for their address
it often ends in “dot it often ends in “dot com.” They have com.” They have PDAs to organize PDAs to organize their day, MP3s to their day, MP3s to
organize their music, organize their music, and they still can not and they still can not
keep their room clean.keep their room clean.
Who influences youth the most?
Studies show that the top three influencers are:
Parents (or parent figures)
Peers Media
The Younger a child is, the
more they are
influenced by family
The older a child is, the
more they are influenced by
peers
"Life is made up of relationships." The foremost of these relationships would center around those involving the Lord, our families, the church, and then others. The strength that is built into these relationships is a determining factor in the content of a person's life.”
Mark Christian
We must work to seek out positive friends, and create wholesome recreational opportunities within the church for young people to socialize and bring friends
James Dobson says,
We should never take something away from youth unless we are prepared to offer something else in its place.
As society goes, so go the Youth of society
Agrarian AgeIndustrial AgeInformation (modern) Age
Agrarian Age
A long childhoodBrief adolescencesMarried young, long adulthood
Industrial Age
Shorter childhoodSlightly longer adolescence that included increased labor and education
Long adulthood
Modern Age
Brief childhoodVery long adolescence with more free time
Adulthood reached later than in previous generations
Issues this presents
Peer and media influence are much greater than ever before
Less responsibilities Delayed marriage
longer ‘dating’, delayed physical gratification
A huge market for entertainment, media
A redefined relationship within the family
One of the primary implications of this is that we must start reaching out to youth at a younger age than ever before, and continue to an older age than ever before. It isn’t just 13-18 anymore.
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