I started out in youth ministry a couple of decades ago, and it was tough enough then for young people to resist bad influences and grow up healthy and hopeful. Today it’s still tough—in the same and different ways.
One thing that’s the same: Young people need us. Badly, and right now. As Khalis Lemons (sweet name, huh!—we just hired him as the new high school pastor at the Rock) says, “We need to take a risk on our kids. People should intercede and get involved in their lives!”
Growing Up Too Fast
Millions of America’s young people are being raised in single-parent homes, and without father figures in their lives. They have to grow up too fast, and they’re blasted 24/7 with sexual images and expectations. Children are having children.
Our culture promotes materialism, as if happiness comes from how much stuff you have. Even a local professor at San Diego State University says our culture is experiencing an epidemic of narcissism—meaning, “everything is about me.” At the same time, everyone’s in debt. In fact, almost half of American children grow up in poverty.
That leads to hopelessness, disengagement and, in some cases, substance abuse. While alcohol and cigarette use has decreased since 1993, the use of illicit and prescription drugs has been increasing in recent years.
A quarter of 12th graders, more than 19 percent of 10th graders, and 8.5 percent of 8th graders used illicit drugs like marijuana, K2/Spice, MDMA/Ecstasy, Salvia and cocaine.
More than a third (36.4 percent) of 12th graders smoked weed last month. No surprise, really, since 60 percent of high school seniors—nearly double from 20 years ago—do not view regular marijuana use as harmful. After pot, prescription and over-the-counter medications account for most of the top drug abuse by 12th grades in the past year. (The stats are from “Monitoring the Future 2013,” an annual survey of 8th, 10th and 12th graders. Find out more at the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s website at www.drugabuse.gov.)
Reaching Kids With Love
This is why the Rock Church—like many other San Diego churches and youth organizations—is passionate about reaching kids and teenagers with the love of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Lemons understands that high schoolers are often misunderstood and spoken down to. He recently said that “high schoolers are misunderstood because we spend more time trying to get in their heads and not their hearts.”
That’s why The Rock’s youth junior and senior high ministries are loving, action-packed, crazy and fun, while being centered on helping young people encounter God. We help them discover who they are, help them grow within a community, and then clear on to how they can do something to impact their church, school and world with their unique gifts and talents.
Check us out at www.sdrock.com/ministries/youth. (We could always use volunteers too!)
