Who is it in your ministry that may need to consider if they are called to vocational ministry? I urge you to have the conversation. You may be the only one in their life that’s able to have that conversation with them.

The “faith” of most teenagers in the church is *Moral Therapeutic Deism. At Southwestern, we prepare ministers who will give teenagers the antidote to that tragic perspective.

A great question for a church to ask is, “How are our students being utilized in the overall structure of the church?” The church is a body, and the teenagers are an integral part of that body. Students need places of service and interaction in order to feel a part of the church as a whole. Research indicates that the more students are involved in intergenerational relationships, the better they “stick” with the church post high school graduation. (See research in Sticky Faith by Kara Powell.) One of the goals for student ministry is to see youth be able to function in a church as they become young adults. To facilitate this, students need experience working alongside and building relationships with adults so that the transition is smoother when they enter young adulthood.