Jessica Misener recently shared 33 ways you may know you were a part of a youth group during your teen years, including
- You were so excited your crush was going to the lock-in;
- You went on a mission trip to Mexico, Guatemala, Haiti, Ghana, Nicaragua, Uganda, or Venezuela;
- Your parents bought you a purity ring;
- You prayed at school during “see you at the pole;” and
- All the concerts you went to gave you the opportunity to sponsor a kid.
So What?
I was never very involved in a youth group as a teen, but was actively involved in a church and had many friends who were very involved in youth groups at Evangelical congregations. Those memories, along with many years of experience leading ministries with all ages including youth, color my reading of Jessica Misener’s list.
- If you were a part of a youth group or had a child who was during the last few decades, how many of the 33 items on her list are quite familiar?
- If you were asked to create a list of the types of memories you would hope a youth group would create for its members in the present and in the next few years, what would you place near the top of that list? Do you believe your congregation’s youth group creates an environment in which those items can be realized?