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| Neither approach is adequate. The most important goal is to provide a support system—people, places, and settings where youth come in contact with people who are finger-pointers toward God. These people should be peers as well as elders and children; the places and settings should be inside and outside the church family where they can explore and grow in their faith. Kenda Creasy Dean and Ron Foster, in their book The Godbearing Life highlight their observation of a mother and her toddler daughter in a park. As the two-year-old navigated her way over the grassy terrain, the mother gently held her fingers, allowing the youngster a “controlled wandering.” From time to time, the mother would point to a tree, bird, or flower. The little girl would stop, giggle, point, sound the word her mother said to her, and then move on her self-made path. Our role with youth is similar—while youth meander through their identity-shaping years, we hold hands and point fingers. Here’s a real-life example: Marcus (not his real name) grew up in a committed Christian family. His grandparents were “pillars of the church.” His father taught Sunday school occasionally; his mother belonged to an interdenominational Bible study. Marcus wasn’t the most dedicated youth group member, he wasn’t baptized as a teenager, and rumor had it that some of his lifestyle choices weren’t what he would have been taught in Sunday school. Marcus liked to live on the edge. One Christmas vacation when Marcus was home from the secular university he was attending, he struck up a friendship with a schoolmate, Julia. Julia was, in many ways, the opposite of Marcus. She was the “perfect Mennonite daughter.” That night Marcus and Julia talked into the wee hours of the morning. She discovered a young man full of enthusiasm for life and a serious side she’d never known existed. He discovered a young woman with a solid faith, a beautiful smile, and an open heart. Continued... |
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