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As I think I mentioned once before, I am trying to get in the habit of posting some of my thoughts after I speak so that those who weren’t there can realize the genius they missed out on and those who were can get a second taste.

Today I pretty much rambled on at ISCF at Stouffville High for forty minutes about high school evangelism and how the school is the front lines for spreading the gospel. Church is like basic training but high school is where all the action takes place. It is also the most fertile mission field you will likely ever encounter. People talk about various overseas missions being ripe for harvest, I believe that high school students are in a place ready to hear it. I give you 3 reasons for this argument.

1. Teenagers are desperately seeking answers. This is why I chose to work with students in the first place. They are at a stage in life where they are looking to find out who they are and what life has to offer them. Adult cynicism and the reality of the world hasn’t fully set it in yet.

2. Teenagers are the future. High schools are filled with future doctors, lawyers, political policy makers, teachers, and other positions of authority and influence. Adults are always trying to get a step ahead of them for this reason. One of my problems with experts and specialists trying to rap their minds around teenage culture is that by the time they figure it out, that particular group is out while the next group is moving up in the ranks. It is my personal belief that the tolerant, post-modern mindset is subtly fading away. My reason is the shift from self centered thinking to global thinking. Young people are looking around at the suffering and poverty and wondering why the previous generations have let this happen. Philosophy is taking a back seat to the rise in popularity in global studies. Christianity has the unique opportunity to offer selfless thinking with a purpose.

3. Teenagers are looking for “holiness”. In their book Unchristian, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons offer major research on the perceptions towards Christianity of 16-29 year olds. Their study showed that the number one thing that people are looking for is “holiness”. People want to see strong moral convictions. The gospel message of love, joy, and hope really has the ability to bear witness to such holiness. Our lives need to demonstrate this.

As much as the schools are ready though, Christian teens aren’t leading the march. My conclusion to that is because they are more concerned with survival than revival. Teenagers, for the most part, are more focused on making it through their four years of high school socially unscathed than they are with seeing the love of Christ transform people’s lives. Many just hope to get by unnoticed, without drawing any attention to themselves. The problem with that is that Christ isn’t being fairly represented. Philosophy, science, secular humanism, and even other religions are all making their way into this virile marketplace and the students are buying. But the faith that Christians are offering is weak, lacking conviction, and seemingly unimportant even to those who have it.

Is it any wonder then that we’re not reaching our schools for Christ?

What I have presented to you so far is the situation and the problem with high school evangelism. If you’re anything like me, you’re wondering where to solution is right now. I’m going to pull a cheap hook and post them tomorrow. So, if you’re reading this and really wanting to know what comes next, check back tomorrow and I will have pooled all my thoughts and resources and put together what I think is the solution to this massive problem.

Thanks for reading,