Important: Teens Need Bible Studies!

A statistic taken a few years ago stated that approximately 88% of young people leave church after high school and never return. Many reasons are given as to why this is the case, and I honestly believe that there are many reasons, but I want to look at one reason in particular, and that is that these young people don't really know or understand God and the Bible. The fact that they have seldom, if ever, done Bible studies is a large part of the reason why they don't know much about God or His Word. Sitting in church Sunday after Sunday isn't enough if they don't have a true knowledge of or desire to know the One about whom they hear.

Why don't many teens today do Bible studies?
• According to them, they often just don't have enough time
• Much of this "lack of time" is due to friends, electronics, and many other distractions in their world.
• Often, if they have to apply much effort to thinking through something in order to gain understanding, they have little interest. It's a "quick and easy" culture in which they are living.
• They figure that there will be time for them to "get serious" when they are older.
• A major influence on the habits of teens is the example and encouragement of the parents.

If these obstacles are removed and a teen does sit down to study the Bible, does the type of study make a difference?

• Easy studies:
In today's "quick and easy" culture that I mentioned earlier, it's hard to get much time out of anyone for Bible studies, so books with short devotional thoughts have been published so that people would spend at least 5 minutes a day thinking about God and His Word. These books most often address various topics relevant to today's teens, and include verses of Scripture either in the body of the devotional or below for further reading.
This approach is better than nothing, but if a person spends year after year reading the same type of basic, surface materials, his or her relationship with God will never deepen. It's not unusual to find out that some teens read these studies to ease their consciences about having a devotional time, and because it only takes a short time to read. Shorter time means less intense application, allowing them to be "safe" in keeping their personal beliefs about right and wrong, good and bad, etc., and still gives them plenty of time to do other things.

• Hard studies:
There are a few Bible studies for teens that are bold in addressing issues of the heart. Of course, these are considered hard because they challenge the teen in their application, requiring a response based on facts, not opinions (their personal standards of right and wrong are addressed with candor). They also travel deep into the Bible and ask questions about the Bible passages that demand thought. On average, Bible studies like these are less favorable among young people due to time and application.

• Further consideration
An approach that explains the overall message of the Bible in a clear way will give teens a foundational understanding of who God is, why Jesus died, and what their relationships with Him should be. There will be a drastic change in attitude and actions when a teen realizes the truth of who God is and exactly what He's done for mankind, and that He wants to have a personal relationship with him or her.

I hope this will be part of a first step in challenging the teens you know toward a God-centered life!