This series was originally written as a paper for a class in seminary.

In considering how to best articulate a theology for ministry within my particular context I have chosen to attend very specifically to the teens already present within the fold of my church. Though the mission and ministry of the church should (and must) extend outside the walls of a community of faith, for the church to become better ministers in the world an ecclesiological revolution is in order. Thus, in the following I speak almost exclusively in regard to my church with the understanding that the natural outworking of a passionate and vibrant church will result in blessing those outside of our community.

Issues confronting the adolescents to whom I am specifically called to minister could be grouped in two general categories: those fairly common to adolescents in the western world and those specific to my particular context at Hope Lutheran Church. Most in youth ministry will notice the tension inherent in adolescence, the challenge of transitioning our young people past graduation age, and a lack of ability of teens to accurately articulate the Christian faith. Being a stage of life whereby a person is an adult biologically (possesses the ability to reproduce) but is considered a child by society (no ability to vote, barred from drinking alcohol, still in school, living at home, supported by parents), adolescence may be defined as a stage of life that is by very definition a tension-filled period. The tensions begin early biologically as students mature, their bodies change, and they develop the ability to reproduce sexually. The response can result in those who mature early to look more adult-like and to begin to attract the attention of those who are much older, increasing social status, and the possibility of romantic relationships. For those who mature later, they may be the brunt of teasing, jokes, and have difficulty socially. Other social tensions occur when teenagers begin their process of individuation and seem to withdrawal from their families and spend more time with their friends. This can lead to risk-taking behavior, another action that is reinforced biologically as the pre-frontal cortex in the adolescent is not fully developed, thus leading young people to a lack of adult judgment. In the midst of the search for identity, the majority of adolescents tend to deal with the issue of “coolness” and strive to earn social capital. This is often highly influenced by the marketing of certain products and behaviors toward the adolescent population.

Besides the inherent tensions that are caused by biological and social factors there is the common issue almost all churches face as students graduate high school. While many move off to college, some will go to community college, trade school, or work a low-wage job; however, almost all students will stop participating actively in their faith tradition while in the 18-25 age range. The lack of the church to be able to translate engaged adolescent faith to continuing adult faith is problematic and possibly a symptom of deeper issues in our churches that would rather be ignored.

Lastly, it is widespread that our young people are highly inarticulate when it comes to expressing the core of the Christian faith. Instead, they adhere to what researcher Christian Smith calls “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism,” a faith that is void of the unique characteristics of the Christian faith as expressed through the tradition of the church. That young people cannot articulate what it means to be a Christian leaves one questioning whether it is the Christian faith that they are embracing or perhaps something else.

In addition to these general adolescent issues my specific ministry context brings to mind two more: affluence and competition. Most of the families in my church live in the suburbs of the Dallas area and lavish their kids will all the spoils of such a lifestyle. Almost every single student has a cell phone by seventh grade, iPods abound, and cars are awarded to sixteen-year olds. The deep desire of my students to acquire more “stuff” is quite evident. Possibly more troubling that this, however, is their expectation that most people live the kind of lives that they do. After a discussion on worldwide poverty, a high school junior at the top of her class came to me and said, “I had no idea that most of the world lived like that. I knew it existed, but didn’t know it was so widespread. I thought most people were like us.”

Competition is the second issue confronting my students and is likely related to their culture of affluence. Fierce competition abounds in my youth group, both academically and athletically. Students are constantly trying to build their résumé, overloading their schedules with activities for such a purpose. SAT preparation begins early and at an intensity I did not know less than ten years ago as an academically-competitive high school student myself. Athletic competition is a similar phenomenon. In addition to school-sanctioned sports there are traveling club teams and camps, all vying for a student’s time. Rest and Sabbath seem to have no place in such a competitive lifestyle for fear that they will get left behind while their friends achieve success, however that may be defined.

All of the above issues are possible areas of conflict that if not engaged properly could work against the authentic practice of the Christian faith. Before addressing these issues and how to address them in relation to the Christian faith, it would be prudent to first articulate a theological framework for Christian ministry. Ministry born out of the classic confessions of the Christian faith would attend to a Trinitarian style of ministry.