As a peripatetic speaker who traverses the country to talk to teens in schools on a vast array of topics, I am thinking deeply about the crucial role churches play in the lives of teens during school holidays. Largely, churches should influence the lives of teens in matters of spiritual formation, character development, talent discovery, career exploration and academic erudition. This can happen in teens’ services, seminars, camps and conferences.
Foremost, churches should play an integral role in the spiritual formation of teens. In 1 Timothy 3:15 (b), the Apostle Paul of Tarsus reminded his mentee, Timothy, that the church is the pillar and ground of truth. Therefore, for children who are Christians, reflecting on the Aegis of Jesus Christ-consciousness through participation in church programmes exposes them to pious and timeless truths. Again, churches can expose teens to intelligent, interesting and inspirational content through well-thought-out movies and music. Churches should save teens from cults, occults, perversion, heresies, radicalisation and secularism. How? By grounding them in spiritual disciplines such as Bible reading, prayer, fellowship, and service to humanity.
Secondly, churches should be at the forefront of matters of character development. For Evangelist Billy Graham reminded us, “When wealth is lost, nothing is lost. When health is lost, something is lost. But when character is lost, all is lost.” Spirituality, morality and character intersect at some important point. No wonder churches should focus on character development, which, in most cases, fosters greatness in several spheres of life. As put aptly by Ann Frank, “Human greatness does not lie in affluence or influence, but in character and goodness. People are just people, and all people have faults and shortcomings, but all of us are born with some basic goodness.”
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Actually, character is the sum total of values, beliefs and personality. People depict the content of their character through behaviour and actions. Then, people with comely character adhere to some acceptable code of conduct. Through their internal value system, they make informed decisions and focus on the pillars of character, including respect, courtesy, diligence, discipline, dignity, integrity, and responsibility. Moreover, it is what Martin Luther King (MLK) captured in his phenomenal speech titled I Have a Dream. To meet the might of physical force with soul force, the silver-tongued orator of all time reminded the American racists, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
Indeed, there is the exigent need to treasure character more than the greatest gems. For George Washington observed, “I hope I shall always possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most valuable of all titles, the character of an honest man.” By the same token, the onus is on the Church to help young people wage war against vanity, immorality, profanity, perversion, drug abuse, crime and anti-social behaviour.
Consequently, during the holiday, churches should focus on programmes that prop up teens to discover talents, gifts and skills inherent in young people. We should not be ignorant about gifts, as we read in the Pauline epistles. Furthermore, skills are acquired abilities. Young people need skills such as 21st-century skills, employability skills, transferable skills, soft skills, people skills, and life skills. In Proverbs 22:29, Solomon sagely says, “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings. He will not stand before mean men.”
Again, in Proverbs 18:16, we read, “A man’s gift opens doors for him, and brings him before great men” In 2 Timothy 1:6, Apostle Paul of Tarsus admonishes his mentee Timothy, “For this reason, I remind you to fan into flames the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”
Then, churches can help teens explore career choices. Careers are professions and vocations that enable individuals to prosper and achieve success in life. In the distant past, Abraham Lincoln observed, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” This prognostication of the future requires good guidance. Finally, churches should encourage teens to evince excellence through love of learning. Churches should parlay programmes on academic excellence. By extension, church premises should be places where teens can tune their ears to hear messages on academic excellence. In Colossians 2:3, we read that in Him (Christ) are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
By Victor Ochieng’
During the holiday, the writer collaborates with churches to train teens in services, seminars, camps and conferences. vochieng.90@gmail.com. 0704420232
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