Monday, September 27, 2010

It's Testing Season Again

The month of October marks the first full month of fall and the beginning of the baseball playoffs. October also brings the beginning of the college testing season. The first date for the SAT Reasoning Test (Formerly known as the Scholastic Apptitude Test) is October 9 and the ACT, American College Test follows a couple of weeks later. Each test is offered multiple times and various sights, always on Saturdays.

I am familar with the test and the testing process, having spent time as a high school counselor. I must admit I had a certain amount of disdain when it came to the test because I saw the pressure it put on certain students. In reality, the standardized college addmission tests are a necessity. They give colleges and universities a way to evaluate all students. Fortunately, most schools have also learned that doing well on a standardized test does not guarantee a student will be successful in college. For that reason schools look at a variety of factors: High school courses taken and the grades achieved, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, potential for leadership and the entrance essay.

If the SAT and ACT are a reality, what can parents be doing to help their students do well and succeed?

1. Encourage your teen to take the test early in the cycle. If they don't get the score they desire they can take the test again. Most school will always take the higher score.

2. Encourage them to take both. The SAT and ACT are very different. One is a reasoning test, the other is an apptitude test.

3. Don't add pressure by telling them you are counting on them scoring high enough to get into a particular school, even if it is your alma mater. There are lots of great schools out there and even communiy college is a great option for many students.

4. Make sure they are prepared. Teens need to be well rested and in a good frame of mind when then enter the testing facility.

5. Realize the college is not for everyone. Some students are better suited for trade schools or the military. Others might move right into the job market and do quite well.

6. Be a consultant and not a manager. You can offer advice on the college admissions process, but ultimately it's their decision and their life.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Why Do Older Teens Shun the Church Youth Group?

My background is church youth ministry. I spent twenty-five years ministering to kids and their families at four different churches. I still stay in touch with youth ministry folks. Youth ministry has changed a lot over the years. Telephone trees have given way to texting and on-line chats. DVD's shown on big screens have replaced the old 16 mm projectors. Yes, I really did have a class in college where they taught us how to properly thread a projector and maintain a record turntable.

While the ministry is very different, one problem has remained. I still hear my young colleagues complain about the fall-off in participation among olders teens. "We spend two years training leaders only to have us desert us when we need them," one area DCE complained.

The assumption has always been that when teens turn sixteen and begin to drive they have more freedom. The freedom allows more options and often church youth group moves down the list of priorities. We have also blamed the increased academic and athletic demands as a possible cause.

I would like to focus on the issue to needs. High school juniors and seniors have very different needs than younger teens. During the last two years of high school teens begin to focus on the future. They begin to make plans on college and career. Many pick-up part-time jobs in order to not to just gain extra cash but work experience. They also are entering a new stage in their faith development. Young teens still have a synthetic faith, clinging to the beliefs they learned in Sunday school and confirmation class. Older teens are moving into a time of individual - reflective faith. They are molding and shaping their beliefs into a relationship with God that is more personal.

Parents, pastors and youth ministry professionals need to be aware of these changing needs and adjust their expectations and

Monday, September 13, 2010

To Burn or Not burn the Quran?

I was saddened, but not surprised, that the media focused on Florida pastor, Terry Jones, last week. In case you missed it, he is the man who threatened to burn copies of the Quran on the anniversary of 9/11.

As I have previously shared, I learned a lot about tolerance from my dad. The reason my parents were able to live in the same neighborhood in Detroit for over forty years was because my dad built bridges and not walls. Dad tried to be friends with all people. He greeted everyone with a "Hi" and was willing to talk to anyone about anything. He didn't talk about it much, but I know his motivation was to treat people like Jesus would. Jesus loved people where they were at and gently guided them to where he wanted them to be. The only thing that Jesus could not tolerate was hypocrisy. I don't see that in Muslims, Hindus or any other of the world's religions.

Don't get me wrong. I still believe that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that he died for my sins and those of the whole world. He is the only hope for the world. He is Our Savior.

I work part-time for a hospital chaplancy service. As I make my round I encounter individuals of all different faiths. What I have discovered is that when someone tells me that they are a Jew, Muslim or Hindu, they expect me to turn my back and flee. Instead, I listen. I asked them about their faith and source of hope. Sometimes they ask about my faith, but most times they don't. Either way, I am conveying love. In some small way I am building a bridge, rather than a wall.

I grieve the fact that most of the world hates us. When I see people burn the American Flag it troubles me. I can, however, understand why. We don't practice our faith. When we hate, or show no respect for those whose belief system is different than our, we are building walls, not bridges.

As parents, we are in an important position. When we model our faith through our tolerance, we are encouraging our kids to do the same. Maybe we can be people of hope.

Monday, September 6, 2010

If Teens Have Weak a Faith, Who is to Fault?

Last week a CNN report caught my attention, along with that of many youth ministry professionals. The report focused on the research on teens and their faith by Kenda Creasy Dean. Dean is minister and also a professor of theology at Princeton University. For her study she interview over three thousand teens. Her conclusion was that many teens have faith that is only a facade. Their faith, according to Dean, is mutant Christianity. It is the product of a church whose primary goal is to boost people's self esteem, the author concludes.

This is not a new problem. Mainline Christianity has been in decline for years. One of the first people of catch my attention was John Westerhoff in his book, Will Our Children Have Faith. Westerhoff challenged the church to find ways to pass on the heritage of faith from one generation to the next. Thirty years later most mainline churches fall into two groups: 1) Those that want to preserve tradition and protect the faith. They live in the past. 2) Those that seek to stroke the egos of self serving adults. They live in the present. Neither meets the needs of contemporary teenagers.

I attend a church that I think offers hope, as well as a model. This struck me again yesterday as I sat in the middle of our activity center, following the education hour. Over twelve volunteer teachers had just completed their assignments. Twenty or more adults, of all ages, stood around talking with the teens. You will find a similar environment on Tuesday nights during Teen Community Bible Study. Again, there are lots of adults to volunteer their time. What is happening in a very intentional, but yet informal way, is adults are sharing their faith and their stories. The focus is on the future and meeting the spiritual needs of the next generation.

That is how faith traditions are maintained. We all have faith stories to tell. Those stories need to be shared with youth. In doing so we encourage them to write their own stories. In the process we are providing them waith a glimpse of what is to come.

Christianity needs to be less about me and my needs and more about sharing the faith with others.