Now, numbers don't tell the whole story. If they did, it would be a whole lot easier to find out if we are doing what God tells us to. (Lots of kids show up? Great! Not too many come? Boy, something must change.) If I were to do a series on the five lies of youth ministry, "Numbers = spiritual health" would certainly be included. Yes, numbers are an indicator that we need to pay attention to, and yes every person matters to God, and so we should seek to make the biggest impact we can for the kingdom. However, this doesn't always mean that the answer is to come up with tons of shallow events that get kids to come. So understand that I'm not saying our goal should be to get as many students through our church doors as possible, and everything will be all ducky. I've served in churches of a variety of sizes, and networked with and known several others. One of the most faithful churches I've ever known is a tiny little Friends church tucked back in a small town in the mountains of Colorado. I've also known amazingly faithful large churches where hundreds of people every month come to know the saving love of our Lord Jesus.
We simply need to come to the understanding that the majority of students and families in western culture do not attend church. Why is this important? Because it changes how we approach youth ministry. We need to see ourselves as missionaries and teach our believing students to be missionaries among their families and friends. And if we see ourselves as missionaries, then perhaps what we do will look a bit different. If the bottom line is helping students know the saving love of our Savior, then maybe events will be more about him than about us.
Understand, I'm not suggesting we hit the "panic" button, because no matter who walks through our doors, God's still in charge. It's just that for some reason, we often operate under the assumption that lots of kids are going to church. The fact is that the majority do not. Of course, we can't claim to know the hearts of those students who don't show up at one church or another very much, if at all. But we if the statistics are even remotely correct, than roughly half of the teenagers in our community--if not more--have not heard or do not understand the Gospel of Jesus. And if that's the case, our job is not to maintain the status quo, but to serve as missionaries, proclaiming the Good News of our Savior.
Other posts in this series:
Five Truths of Youth Ministry (an Introduction)
Five Truths of Youth Ministry | #1: Jesus Saves, Not Me
Five Truths of Youth Ministry | #3: I'm a Sinner
Five Truths of Youth Ministry | #4: Youth Leaders Should Be Missionaries
Five Truths of Youth Ministry | #5: God Desires Faithfulness, Not Numbers
