That’s amazing to me. The majority of pastors and youth pastors never talk to their high school graduates about what they are going to do after high school. Our kids are leaving the church after they graduate from high school and we are simply letting them walk away?
Pastors and church leaders, I wholeheartedly believe that there are proactive, but simple things you can do to help your church’s graduating seniors transition out of youth group and into the life God has for them as emerging adults. I ask you to prayerfully consider these suggestions and then take the action steps necessary to implement some of the following ideas into the fabric of your church even this Spring.
1. Schedule individual appointments with your church’s graduating seniors to talk about God’s will for their lives.
High school graduation is a tangible rite of passage in today’s society. It’s a big deal. Your high school graduates are transitioning from the cocoon world of their parents’ home and the church youth group into the looming and scary world of adulthood. So, be intentional about this fantastic opportunity and schedule personal appointments with each graduating senior in your church. Believe me, most of them are looking for some help on how to determine God’s will for their lives and they would greatly appreciate a gentle, yet probing talk from their pastor about that. Of course, many of your graduates have already made plans for their futures. Some are entering the work-force, others are going to college, and some maybe enlisting in the military. This is the perfect occasion to meet with each one of these members of your flock to talk with them about God’s plan and direction for their lives. (Don’t forget that this might also be the ideal time to give each senior a gift from the church honoring them for their high school graduation.)
2. Talk to the students’ parents to see if you can help them.
High school graduation is also the perfect opportunity to talk to the kids’ parents about the future. This is probably a time of high tension for them as well. They have fretted for years about the money for college or about what the world will be like for their children. A brief heart-to-heart pep-talk from their pastor or their kids’ youth pastor would be much appreciated. You can discuss how to help the grads stay connected to the church following graduation. You can also help the parents find a good, solid, Bible-believing church for their graduate in the city where they’ll be living next year. This talk would be a great encouragement to them.
3. Identify those you believe are called to full-time vocational ministry.
God is still in the business of calling young people to serve Him. Who knows? Some of them may be leaving your church youth group this year. Have you talked to them about vocational ministry? You could take this opportunity to talk to these individuals about the honors and privileges of serving the Lord full time. You might be able to offer them some practical advice on attending a Bible college or on what they can do now to prepare for full-time ministry later. If you have sensed that the hand of God is on certain individual students in your youth group, why don’t you talk to them about it? Now is the perfect time.
4. Develop a team of adults to keep in touch with the graduates while they are away from home.
Here’s another simple, but proactive idea for your church to consider. Why not build a team of adults in your church who will continue to communicate with your high school graduates after they leave your church? This team could consist of parents, grandparents, and other interested adults. You may want to also consider adding younger highs school students to this team as well. Encourage them team to secure the grads’ mailing address and phone number while they are away and to outline a specific plan to send them regular updates from the church – and perhaps even “care packages” while they are away from home. Of course, it is very important that your graduates know that their home church is praying specifically for them while they are in college or in the military. So, ask the team to keep the list of your church’s college students and members of the military in a conspicuous place on your church’s regular prayer list.
This may be the most important idea of all. In most situations, your church’s high school graduates would be no longer welcome in youth group. In our culture we tend to ask these new young adults to leave the youth ministry. Have you ever thought through this strategy? Where are they going to go? Youth ministry specialist, Dr. Chap Clark has said, “"In most churches, when adolescents leave high school, there are few programmatic options available for them much less a welcoming community that has committed to bring them into the life of the body." So, does your church have an intentional welcoming committee that is committed to making your church’s high school graduates feel wanted and welcome in the adult ministries? It has been my experience that college-age ministries are some of the weakest areas in our churches. This may be the time to change that. Your new young adults don’t want to be treated like teenagers any more. They want and need growing, healthy inter-generational relationships with other significant adults. Pastors and church leaders, let me remind you that this won’t happen unless you put together a specific plan, and it starts with the active recruitment of specific Godly adults who are committed to making this emerging generation feel welcome in your church.
Friends, I don’t know where Barna gets his information from, but I do know that the local church can be a powerful influence on the lives of our kids. Maybe we can work to change his statistic. Why not talk to your graduates this week?
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