Home Youth Leaders Articles for Youth Leaders How to Address the Student #MarchForOurLives With Your Church

How to Address the Student #MarchForOurLives With Your Church

Should the church even be talking about gun control?

Todd: I thought it was interesting. Wednesday, one of the young men that were part of the walk-out, and speaking in DC. He kept calling gun violence a moral issue. I think that’s something that, as we look at a lot of different moral issues in the church, is gun violence a moral issue? We’re talking about life and death. Then, we really have to turn around and look at other things that are life and death moral issues. We really need to speak into this, as church leaders. – Todd Jones of First Baptist Duluth

Dennis: As the body of believers, I think we have every right to address, and we should be part of this conversation. I think all of us, to a degree, would agree that this goes beyond gun violence. This is a moral heart issue. We are depraved human beings. We are capable of atrocities, and it’s a heart issue. That’s not to take away from what’s been going on. A lot of times, we try to deal with band-aids and symptoms, and not the actual cancer. What’s eating at it, what’s happening. I think we have every right to speak into this. I think youth especially, we should be in the trenches with our people, shoulder to shoulder. 1 Peter, “Live such honorable lives, that the Gentiles have …” Everything is pointing back to God. Honorable lives, in this case, is doing life with these individuals. Hurting with them, crying with them, sympathizing, empathizing, and being there.

Tom: We have, in our church, a lot of judges, and a lot of people that’s running for office, that constantly come through our church, and we give them a platform to speak. We can start really pushing the needle, in terms of saying, “Let’s make some of our agenda be about these young people. Let’s make some of our agenda, when you get up here and speak, let’s make it about this gun violence. Let’s make it about education. Let’s really do something where we’re making a difference.” I believe it starts really with the church, because we’re connected with the community.

Todd: I think it also gives us a place to process. The church helps process this. It’s that idea of, I think it’s Andy Stanley that wrote a while back, it’s, “Right or wrong is not our cue. What’s the wise thing to do?” I think wisdom speaks into this more than anything. What is the wise thing to do? When you’re sitting down with a group of guys who come from different backgrounds, different stories, is it wise to say, “This, this, this is absolute.”? Or, is it wise to sit down and have a conversion? Is it wise to hit somebody, what was the nuclear button on social media? Is it wise to hit that nuclear button? We have to come at it as a church, and speak in wisdom, not necessarily in a right or wrong situation.

What are you telling your kids who are scared to go to school?

Josh: Just remind them sin is real. Evil is real. There has been things like this happened throughout history. It’s just now, it’s like mass media, social media, and everything like that, it’s just bombarded. I remind them that if guns were completely out, there’d still be something. Man, it’s tough. – Josh Frazier of Graystone Church

Todd: We just heard a lot of students don’t feel safe. Well, what if we made church the safest place for any student to walk into? What if they can come, and they can talk about the fears that they have? Give our students the tools to be able to talk to their friends, that are experiencing this fear, because we know the One who brings peace in all situations. I think it’s one of those things where God’s giving us an opportunity to speak into our students, and then allow them to go to their school campuses, and speak about peace. Speak about … They’re thinking about mortality for the first time, a lot of these students are. They’re fearing death. We give them, “Hey. Jesus is the answer to this mortality.” It gives them that opportunity to speak in. We have to do a better job of discipling in this situation.