I’ve had the privilege of serving on staff in three different churches. In many ways, the churches couldn’t be more different. The first was a growing congregation in northern Alabama that ministers largely to middle-class families. The second was in eastern North Carolina. By many standards, this church is large and continues to grow. The make-up of the church is middle-to-upper middle class. Because of various Christian schools in the area and dedication to discipleship on the part of parents, the level of biblical literacy among the youth is exceptionally high.
The third church, the one where I currently minister, is in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee. Though the immediate community in which the church is located is largely upper- middle class, those youth to whom we minister are, by and large, from low socio-economic backgrounds. What you might assume from these descriptions is that the high-risk teenagers referred to in the title are those from church number three, but that’s not the case. While their problems certainly seem to be more visible (and maybe more abundant), I’ve encountered at-risk teenagers in every one of my ministry positions.
Youth ministers should begin training themselves on how to minister rightly to those students who would be categorized in an “at-risk” or “high-risk” category. Students who would be defined as such wouldn’t be found exclusively in poorer neighborhoods, though it seems that there are more among those communities. Since virtually any youth group could have “at-risk” teenagers in its membership, youth pastors should think of how they might better minister to those teens and their surrounding context.
Defining “At-risk” Teenagers
The book Children Matter defines an “at-risk” child as “one who has undergone or is facing a life-changing experience that could have an effect (positive or negative) on his or her development.” The author continues, “Every family experiences crises, but some are especially devastating for children.”[1] We must remember that no human being is outside of the effects of sin, though some—especially at-risk youth—have been more deeply affected by sin in their personal experience.
While people often use the terms “youth at risk” and “troubled youth” synonymously, Dean Borgman draws a distinction between them. He notes “‘Youth at risk’ includes those who are in situations or have manifested early behaviors that may only point in the direction of trouble or suggest minor difficulties. We arbitrarily define ‘troubled youth’ as young people in imminent danger of inflicting serious injury on themselves or others. We are talking especially about suicidal and homicidal behaviors.”[2] While this is a large spectrum, we can synthesize much of this. What is clear is that those at-risk have the potential to live a life characterized by trouble and difficulty. Those who are “troubled” experience a much higher degree of difficulty, often times in the form of childhood trauma.
At-risk youth have almost always experienced some level of trauma. Borgman notes, “Childhood trauma is occurring around us in urban, rural and suburban settings.”[3] Again, these difficulties are not quarantined to one particular socio-economic group. Further, these forms of trauma are numerous. They include but are not limited to self-hatred, emotional/psychological abandonment, family issues, prejudice, poverty, and death.
I can easily think of students whom I have had in my own youth ministries. One lost his father to a tragic work accident and is now living with his stepmother, his biological mother wanting nothing to do with him. Another experienced sexual assault at a young age and has had to live with the effects ever since. These students, and many others, experienced trauma and still live in situations that put them in a high-risk category.
How to Minister to Those “At-risk”
In many ways, the answer to how to minister to those students who may be in high-risk situations is fleshed out at both a micro level with the youth themselves and at a macro-level with any secondary influences that a given student may face. In his book Hurt 2.0: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers, Chap Clark highlights what those in middle adolescence need to avoid hurt: “(1) Youth need refocused, nurturing organizations and programs, (2) youth need a stable and secure loving presence, [and] (3) youth need to experience authentic, intimate relationships with adults.”[4] While space does not allow fuller explanation of this concept, Chap Clark’s “Adoptive Youth Ministry Model” and Mark DeVries’ “Family-Based Youth Ministry Model” are works for further exploration in this direction.[5] As one author writes,
As caring adults, we can make a difference in the lives of children who are in unfair circumstances. Programs that offer peer support for grieving children and those whose parents are divorcing, homework and other after-school programs, arts and sports programs, and intergenerational celebrations can provide stability and nurture for children in difficult times. Of course we need to know our limits and recognize when a child needs professional help beyond our expertise. Knowing what resources are available in the community will enable us to connect families with the support they need.[6]
We should do all that we can to minister to at-risk teenagers, but we must also realize our professional limits and recognize when we should recommend a student to someone more competent.
We need what Fernando Arzola calls a “prophetic youth ministry.” This is nothing more than a ministry that is committed to ministering to the whole person and “seeks to address the spiritual, personal, and social needs of . . . youth.”[7] Clark also gives prescriptions on what those involved in youth ministry can do to affect a better culture for their youth.
Arzola notes that: (1) those who work with youth should be trained in the changing of youth culture; (2) those who serve adolescents must work together; (3) those who serve adolescents must understand youth and provide boundaries; (4) parents need to be equipped and encouraged to parent the changing adolescent; and finally (5) communities must make sure that each student has a few adult advocates who know and care for him or her.[8] While the possibilities are endless, a ministry that cares for at-risk, high-risk, or troubled youth cares not only for the particular youth but also for their surroundings—and works towards peace and renewal of both.
Bringing Truth to Life
To avoid the misconception that this approach to youth ministry is overly focused on sociological concerns, we should note that a right approach is founded on and rooted in the truth of Scripture. As we minister to these at-risk students, we should remind them of Jesus’ own example. It was Jesus Who had no place to lay His head (Matt. 8:20). It was Jesus Who was betrayed by those closest to Him. It was Jesus Who experienced the absolute depth of suffering for our sake.
We must root our practice in these truths. We can remind our students that, even though they may have experienced an intense amount of trauma and even though they may continue to live in difficult circumstances, they were created by a God Who is not absent from those concerns. Instead, we guide students to a God Who took on our flesh and sympathizes with the deepest struggles and anguishes we experience. We are loved by a God Who took on the deepest amount of hurt, the Son being completely separated from the Father in taking on our sin, so that we might experience the deepest amount of peace.
Our hopes and goals in ministering to at-risk youth are guided by the promises of God. Even though these students have experienced incredible difficulties, God offers them true peace in Him. This is a theological perspective that is at once both eminently practical and eschatological, giving the student both a present and a future hope. Even in the midst of difficult ministry, we can do no better than build our efforts upon God’s Word.
Conclusion
The goal of our ministries, as we seek to maintain both orthodoxy and orthopraxy, is to bring peace not only to individuals but also to their (our) communities. This requires a holistic and comprehensive practice of ministry. It takes into account personal, familial, and cultural forces that can shape a student for good or for bad. It realizes that a student may have experienced the incredible effects of sin and trauma even at a young age. Yet this kind of ministry does not leave students in those situations. Instead, it seeks to meet a student’s needs holistically, all the while pointing them to Christ as their present and ultimate hope.
For further reading:
- Chap Clark, Hurt 2.0: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011).
- Dean Borgman, Hear My Story: Understanding the Cries of Trouble Youth (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2003).
- Merton P. Strommen, Five Cries of Youth (New York: Harper & Row, 1988).
- Scottie May, et al, Children Matter: Celebrating Their Place in the Church, Family and Community (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005).
- Fernando Arzola, Jr., Toward a Prophetic Youth Ministry: Theory and Praxis in Urban Context (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2008).
[1]Scottie May, et al., Children Matter: Celebrating Their Place in the Church, Family, and Community (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005), 318.
[2]Dean Borgman, Hear My Story: Understanding the Cries of Troubled Youth (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2003), 23.
[3]Ibid., 141.
[4]Chap Clark, Hurt 2.0: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011), 192.
[5]Chap Clark, Adoptive Youth Ministry: Integrating Emerging Generations into the Family of Faith, Youth, Family, and Culture (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2016); Mark DeVries, Family-based Youth Ministry (Downers Grove: IVP, 2004).
[6]May, 319.
[7]Fernando Arzola, Jr., Toward a Prophetic Youth Ministry: Theory and Praxis in Urban Context (Downers Grove, IVP Academic, 2008), 28.
[8]Clark, Hurt 2.0, 197-202
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