A Concern over Teen Spirituality

I sing with the worship team at our church. Over the last couple of years I have noticed an increase in the number of teenagers attending the 11:00 AM worship service. Since that service is in a contemporary style and follows the Bible class hour, it's convenient for teens to attend. A cluster of them sit together near the front of the worship center, others are scattered throughout the sanctuary sitting with their families. On the surface it seem that the level of teen spirituality is healthy. Nationwide, experts tell us that 60% of teens are engaged in some form of spiritual activity. However, a recent report from the respected Barna Group raises a red flag when it comes to teen spirituality.

Sociologist have labeled this generation (roughly those under the age of 21) as mosaics. You have probably heard of the terms: Baby Boomer and Gen. X, but the term mosaic might be new to you. Mosaics have a very eclectic lifestyle. While they value relationships, those tend to be more fluid - they relate to people according the their needs. They are also much more tolerant and open-minded. While they consider themselves spiritual, it's a "cut and paste" spirituality that might draw from a variety of sources. It's the last two characteristic that probably should arouse the greatest concern.

The Barna Group tracks teen's religious behavior by assessing nine areas of involvement. Participation in worship and attending youth group activities are two areas that have remained constant. Unfortunately, over the last dozen years there has been a significant drop in six of the other seven behaviors. There has been a decline in prayer life (praying to God), reading sacred books other than the Bible (devotional materials), and monetary contributions to a church. For the most part the former have dropped about ten percent. The most disturbing is the almost twenty percent decline in evangelistic behavior. Fewer teens are explaining their belief in Jesus to non-believers.

As in other areas in their lifestyle, teens are much more tolerant when it comes to religion. They are open-minded when it comes to other belief systems, and are far less likely to share their faith. From their perspective it's wrong to force a belief system on someone.

Parents and those who work with teens need to be cognizant of this trend and address it. One way is to study other faith systems (Mormon, Scientology, Etc.) and help teens see the uniqueness of the Christian Faith. Another way is to address current issues and trends. The popularity of the Harry Potter series is a good example. Over 75% of teens reported having seen at least one or more of the Harry Potter movies, but only 20% of teens noted that they had discussed the films in a Christian context. The final way is to expose our teens to mature adults who have a vibrant and active faith. When they enter into such relationships they begin t see the value of an active faith life.