Essential to our role as kingdom ambassadors, among the cultural milieu of adolescents, is our ability to respond to youth in crisis. Whether during the Coronavirus pandemic, its aftermath in the years to come or any other crisis facing our youth, there are two postures necessary to care for youth during these times.
As youth workers, I believe God can use us to supply parents, the primary spiritual caregivers of their homes (Deut. 6:1-9; Prov. 22:6), with much needed PPE as they help their teenagers mitigate the emotional and spiritual impact of this pandemic.
A century after Ernest Hemingway referred to youth as “the lost generation”, youth are faced with a new pandemic, and the world is at risk of another lost generation; one where the global youth sub-culture is defined by despair, discord, and disillusionment caused by the seismic cultural shock of COVID-19 and the resulting social tremors to come.
During this pandemic, I believe global youth ministry is being presented with at least five pivotal opportunities to shift how we minister to and through youth. At every level – from local church ministers to denominational and social movement influencers – God is stirring significant shifts in the world of youth ministry.
