The longer I thought, the more students came to mind. Then I wanted to know for myself: How had I ministered to these teenagers? How had I been conducting ministry to divorced families? Did I try to meet their unique needs? And how had I ministered to them specifically in the last year? I hadn’t.
Divorce and the Church
Divorce is an issue but not trendy. It’s not the newest crisis teenagers are facing. It has little to do with being online, drug use, social media, eating disorders, binge drinking, or sexuality.
I’m not minimizing those issues, by any stretch. But they seem to get youth ministers and parents hyped up. They’re the current trends, the developments on the news. Divorce has become old hat. The norm. “The way things are.”
Here’s the problem: Divorce is a big issue to people going through it. To the teen, it’s life-changing. To the parent, it’s the end of a one-time dream. And to the community, it involves taking sides and gossiping. People want to know who’s at fault, why things went south, and what new relationships will occur.
So where does that land you, the youth minister? I’d be very surprised if you don’t have students in your youth group who are going through a divorce situation. Or kids who are living with only one parent because of a divorce. Or teenagers who’ve been affected by divorce somehow.
Youth ministers need to understand divorce and address the issue well. That’s essential if we are to care for students and families.
*This is an edited excerpt from Ronald Long’s book Student Ministry and Divorce: 4 Ways to Help Hurting Families.
This article was originally published on YouthMinistry.com, © Group Publishing, Inc.
