Having been around student ministry and young adults for many years, one message I’ve consistently heard shared with teenagers is that they are the “church of tomorrow”.  I know this is a well-intended admonition for the next generation to realize the importance of their role in church life for years to come, but it misses the mark.  Teenagers need to know that they are NOT the church of tomorrow – they are the church of TODAY.

With the increase of students living in a sort of extended-adolescence (well into and even beyond the college years), it is as important as ever that they realize their teenage years are not just a “holding phase” of their Christian walk.  Teenagers are given every same bit of radical grace from the Lord as adults are, and they are given every same bit of responsibility to live out their faith as adults are.  Students need to hear that God has called them HERE and NOW to be making disciples, worshipping the Lord, and leveraging their gifts, talents, resources, and time for the Kingdom of God.

What teenagers do TODAY matters precisely because they ARE the Church.  There is no second-tier Christianity in the Kingdom of God.  And I believe that the more teenagers are called up to this – they will begin to answer that call by the Spirit’s power at work in them. Today’s generation of Christ-following teenagers can, will, and should be seen as full-fledged members of Christ’s Universal Church who can, will, and should be living out the Gospel in every area of their lives – for God’s glory and their good.