One of the responsibilities I feel as a youth minister is mentoring high school students as they prepare for college and adulthood or what many would call their next phase in life. For several years I have been confused with many young adults or late adolescence who seem like they have no desire to grow up and move on from their parents womb. The occurrence appears to be a major talking point now for ministry leaders and the national media. This article in the New York Times Magazine section has been circulating across Facebook and I even have had two people email me the article last week.
There are a couple of things that we should be having conversations about whether you agree or disagree about late adolescence going into early to mid 20 year olds. Here are a few questions:
How can we as ministers help teens navigate life's journey into adulthood?
One thing we must do is build a network of adult mentors who are involved in the teens life starting in high school and going through college. This idea is not new it is actually found in Titus 2 about the older men teaching the younger men and likewise the older women should teach the younger women.
What is the church going to do about this group 18-25 who does not feel as if they belong to a church?
Other thing discipling or mentoring, the church must start to put young adolescence in a service role in the body of Christ. They must learn and grow to realize that they are not a segment of the body, but they are the body. We must move beyond teens consuming church, to being consumed by an Almighty God.
Why are some parents choosing to allow their kids to be dependent on his or her parents finances beyond what is appropriate?
I will never forget getting the phone call from my mother about a month before I graduated from LCU how how she revealed the news to me that I will be responsible for my rent after May and that I might want to look into health insurance because I would no longer be covered. In essence, a huge element to one growing into independence is cutting off the ATM machince or should I say the parents must turn the ATM off.
What are your thoughts about the article on the late adolescent conversation that is happening?
(Picture: sxu)
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