3 Reasons Why the Church Should Focus More on Teens

By Greg Stier, Op-ed Contributor Thursday, April 07, 2011

1. They are the church of today, not tomorrow.

Teens don’t become “members” of the church when they take are old enough to tithe or serve on a committee. They become members as soon as they put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:13,14.)

Perhaps waiting for them to grow older so that they can become “real” members of the church is one of the reasons why we are losing the next generation in record numbers. We dismiss their potential so they dismiss themselves…for good.

2. Teens can take the gospel further and faster than adults do.

When speaking to adults about evangelism one has to continually focus on building relational bridges with the unchurched. If you try this speech with teenagers they will roll their eyes at you as they are texting one of their many unchurched friends.

The average teenager has at least 100 online and face-to-face friends and have 100xs more influence on those friends than a stranger does. If they can be inspired and equipped to leverage that influence for the gospel then they kingdom of God could exponentially advance.

3. Teenagers are itching for a cause.

Jesus gave us the ultimate cause vicariously through his disciples when he commanded them to “go and make disciples of all nations….” In addition to evangelism this means “teaching them to obey everything” that he commanded them, including the command to make disciples. The cause Jesus is calling us to in Matthew 28:19-20 is to make disciples who make disciples until everyone everywhere has an opportunity to become a Christian.

In a world of causes (good, goofy or great) for teens to get involved with this is the ultimate cause, THE Cause that Christ has called us to. If teenagers are taken seriously, trained seriously and are given a serious cause they can, quite literally, turn the world upside down with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

That’s what Dare 2 Share is all about. That’s what the church should be all about. Is that what you are all about?

Let’s focus more on teenagers. Let’s unleash them to do amazing things for the maximum glory of God.

Greg Stier is the Founder and President of Dare 2 Share Ministries International. He has impacted the lives of tens of thousands of Christian teenagers through Dare 2 Share events, motivating and mobilizing them to reach their generation for Christ. He is the author of eleven books and numerous resources, including Dare 2 Share: A Field Guide for Sharing Your Faith. For more information on Dare 2 Share and their upcoming conference tour and training resources, please visit www.dare2share.org.