Issue link: https://discover.cph.org/i/1474737
Don't let your need to get the pizza dispensed fairly keep you from focusing your attention (and theirs!) on Jesus Christ and His great salvation. That is the key to having important times of joy and connection with teens. The changing of an environment or culture does not happen overnight, though many have tried. It cannot be forced. It starts with the work of the Holy Spirit as we make small choices over and over that reinforce warmth, challenge, and grace. Some of those small changes can include the following: • Praying often for the youth of your congrega- tion and their families • Calling young people by name • Recruiting other adults to be consistently in communication with youth; this ensures that every teen has someone who is checking and showing care for them • Taking time during programming to listen well, even if that means you don't do everything you had planned (sometimes taking time to ask good questions and really listen allows you to speak God's Word in powerful ways, perhaps even more than the lesson you planned for them) • Writing a note of encouragement or sending a text of support to teens experiencing stress • Planning to talk about difficult topics—which may mean finding additional adults, like your pastor, to lead or doing extra work to prepare • Celebrating together, even if it is small things— don't miss out on opportunities to rejoice in how God is using young people in their daily lives • Apologizing when you do something wrong; it can be easy to just move on when you make a mistake, but the more often youth hear you ask for forgiveness and receive absolution, the more they will feel encouraged to do the same • Bringing older adults to share their stories and helping both groups find points of connection • Preparing for crises by making sure you have access to resources and professionals with which and to whom you can connect teens and their families In busy youth ministry, it is easy to forget that Jesus Christ and Him crucified is the heart of the Church and of our youth ministry. 14 Lutheran Life