Scripture is Sufficient for Youth Ministry by Scott Brown. There is a tragic blindness in our culture when it comes to youth ministry. Who is supposed to teach the children? What happened with John Calvin's "youth group"? Why did Jonathan Edwards advise youth against gathering together? What does scripture say?

The National Center for Family Integrated Churches welcomes Scott Brown with the message, Scripture is sufficient for ministry to you. Would you join with me in prayer? Oh Lord, we pray for hearts to love your words more than the words of the world. Because we know that your ways are pleasant ways and all your paths are peace and we rejoice in it here in this place. We realize our wretchedness before you, the long distance there is for us to go with you, but our hearts desire to go there.

And I pray now Lord that you would help us to understand your will. In Jesus name, Amen. Well the doctrine of the sufficiency of scripture teaches us that the Word of God, not our minds, not our culture, is the sole authority for faith and practice. And it is sufficient to teach us how to live in our homes, and to live in our churches, and to conduct our work, and everything else in life. And it is such a blessing.

The problem with life on the dark planet is that we miss so much and yet God is so kind to take us from one place to another. And I'd like to say tonight that there is a tragic blindness that I believe exists in our culture regarding what the Bible says about youth ministry because the Bible is full of beautiful things to teach us about ministry to youth. You would see the preciousness of youth to God because of His commandments and His patterns that are there. At the same time, there is a youth ministry practice that is comprehensively used, a method of discipleship, that is harming our youth. And I'd like to talk to you about that.

But I'd like to first of all take you to two cities. I'd like to give you a tale of two cities. First of all, I'd like to take you back to to John Calvin's Geneva and in John Calvin's Geneva you found a reformation of many areas of life including family life and in that reformation God saw to it that John Calvin would understand the biblical doctrine of the family. John Calvin understood that it was the responsibility of fathers to teach their children. And so he wrote a catechism that could be used in families.

And it's a beautiful catechism. And he worked on it and revised it and continued to make it sweeter. And he desired that the households would be filled of Bible doctrine by the use of his catechism. But he found that the fathers didn't do it. And so he conceived of a way to ensure that the catechisms would be used.

So at noon In three of the churches in Geneva, they scheduled catechisms for the youth, and they brought the youth together in those catechisms. But there were problems with it. Problems like this. Children out of control in the catechisms. Teasing, playing games, skipping.

Vast numbers of children skipping the catechisms and living out of control out in the field. So much, though, That the consistory, which was a governing body, appointed guards in the churches to control the youth in the churches as they were gathering them together. And then the problem got so bad that actually fathers were being chastised and one father was actually beaten because his child was disruptive in the meetings. We have a playful statement at the NCFIC. John Calvin tried youth groups and he failed too.

And there's much to say about that, but what John Calvin tried to accomplish in attempting to fix a problem actually created a whole other problem that they were never able to solve in Geneva. The city of Geneva. Let's move across the Atlantic Ocean now to the city of Jonathan Edwards. Jonathan Edwards ministry in Northampton, Massachusetts was one of those ministries that we love to look into because of the many precious things that happened there. But There are a number of things that happened in Northampton in Jonathan Edwards' church.

Jonathan Edwards was actually very disturbed about the prospect of too much interaction among the youth in Geneva. And he restricted it. And some of his restrictions and opinions about youth ended up being part of the reason why he was dismissed by 90% of his congregation after 23 years of ministry. There were many issues, but one of the issues surrounded the way that he viewed youth and spoke to youth regarding their patterns of entertainment and things like that. One of the most interesting things about Edwards' ministry in Northampton had to do with his exhortations against youth gathering together.

I don't know if he learned a lesson from John Calvin or not, but here's what he said. I quote, be advised against going into company. He was talking to youth. He means that youth should not be gathering together. Be advised against gathering youth together.

And he says, I leave it to everyone to consider whether it does not have the tendency to divert persons from their great concerns. I appeal to the experience of everyone who has tried it. Whether or not it has not been the case. Has it not been the case that you have been somewhat moved and affected by something that you have heard in the preaching And as soon as it is over, you go into company, which diverts your minds and takes away the impressions that were left there. And if it has the tendency to take off impressions when made, for the same reason it will tend to prevent their being made at all and it will harden the heart against impressions.

What Edwards is saying to the youth is when you gather for the preaching of the Word of God in the age-integrated preaching event in the church. When you're done, don't go be together as youth. Because it'll wipe away the things you've heard, and it'll dull and harden your heart for the things that you might have been able to acquire. The tale of two cities. John Calvin's Geneva and North Hampton.

Now, what we find in North Hampton was a ministry that was very consistent, I believe, to what we find in the Biblical doctrine for youth ministry. I think Jonathan Edwards understood a number of the principles that are very, very important in it. Let me just say this, I want to dedicate this ministry, I mean this, I would like to dedicate this message to the thousands of youth workers who saw what was happening in the modern youth movement. And they sought to address it foundationally and biblically. And they were dismissed from their jobs, or they left voluntarily.

They left youth ministry, but they didn't leave ministry to youth. But they staked their reputations and they staked their institutional favor, they staked their positions, they staked their very pocketbooks on the principles from God's word regarding youth ministry and they realized that the youth ministry that they were conducting was completely unbiblical. And I want to dedicate this message to them because many of them suffered greatly and they had to take three jobs in order to survive as a result of the decision that they made. They're courageous, they're courageous brothers among us. I love youth ministry.

I absolutely love it. The majority of the people in our church are youth And I'm so grateful for the multitude of passages of Scripture that consult us on how to minister to youth. Now, let me tell you this. I have been a youth minister. I've been a singles minister.

I've been a senior minister and everything in between. I've played guitar for the toddlers and I've sat in the nursery. And I have been involved in hiring and firing youth ministers. And I've said along, I said right along with Jim Rayburn, it's a sin to bore a kid with the gospel. Well, there's certainly a truth in that.

But what that ended up meaning was that it's a sin to use the gospel and what you need to use or fill, you know, use mouths with enough marshmallows so that they can't talk and make them say something strange. And I know chubby bunnies. I know the crowdbreakers. I bought all the literature of youth specialties. And I even started a campus life chapter under the leadership of Youth for Christ many years ago when I was a pastor of a church in a small community.

I was actually a child of the youth ministry movement. We grew up together. I read the books and I studied the programs and I've argued along the best of them, after you get a senior pastor you need to get a youth man. And at the same time I would just have to say that I was profoundly impacted by the campus workers of Campus Crusade for Christ when I was in high school and they came to my high school and they preached the gospel to me and the words of the gospel fell on my sinful heart and I was converted. And I'll never forget the day that I heard the news that Bill Bright, who was the president of Campus Crusade for Christ died.

I was sitting in my office, I remember it as it was yesterday. And I burst, I just began to sob with thankfulness to God that he sent many to me. He did send my father and a pastor, but he did send those workers that were a blessing to me. My analysis and critique of modern youth ministry does not suggest, and I want to make this very clear, that every expression of youth ministry has been a total failure. I'm not saying that.

As if no one can look back at the way that God somehow used it in their lives and to save them or to instruct them or give them relationships that were so meaningful to them. What about God-centered youth ministry that we see today? They're youth ministers who are striving with all their hearts to conduct serious and biblically faithful youth ministry. Their messages are God-centered. They call for holiness.

There ain't no chubby bunnies in these, if you know what I mean, you'd have to know what chubby bunnies are. You'd have to grow up in the youth ministry movement to know what that is. But no chubby bunnies, no entertainment, they've rejected that and they're striving to correct the problems of destroying parental authority in their ministries. And they're working very hard. But what this does is it presents really a very difficult situation for me.

How do you appeal to people who are, with all of their hearts, sincerely trying to do the right thing? They're honestly wishing to preach the gospel and to rescue lost youth. How do you graciously point out that there's something that we've adopted that is contrary to scripture and that we are perhaps even destroying the next generation? How do you, in a pastoral way, recognizing your own sinfulness and stupidity, how do you speak to this issue and say to someone, You've adopted a wrong system and you're with all your heart trying to do right things in that wrong system. So I want to address not motives, I don't want to address intentions, but methodology.

To address intentions, but methodology. But I do want to suggest that modern youth ministry is a flawed system. The conclusion of the matter is that God's Word is sufficient for youth ministry. God's Word is sufficient. Now, I'd like to talk about the rise of modern youth ministry and the present state of emergency that we're in today.

This is not going to be a comprehensive historical tree. It can't be. I've struggled. I've thrown away dozens of pages to try to rassle this subject into a manageable quantity for us tonight, but but throughout the 20th century, here's the short story throughout the 20th century churches progressively as the century wore on adopted a new invention and I'm just going to call it programmatic age-segregated youth ministry. It was something completely new And I think that we all recognize that there's a crisis in ministry to youth today.

And we are in a state of emergency. One of the greatest crises of the church and family in U.S. History, the greatest declines of attendance, the greatest loss of the next generation that we have ever seen. It's breathtaking to think that 70 to 90 percent of the next generation is being lost to the world. What will happen to us with this hard charging influence that is so ripping and tearing at the fabric of the church?

The emergency signs are sounding in every corner. And everywhere we turn there's a new blaze to be put out. And what we've been saying here at this conference, I'll say it again, great emergencies require great responses. Follow the sirens, brothers. Follow the houses that have been torn down that were built on the sand and find the answers from God's Word.

I'd like to talk about the biblical record on youth ministry. These questions about modern church life need to be answered with the Bible and that's what I hope we can do here tonight. And the Bible speaks so wonderfully about youth ministry, it's astonishing. You know, rejection of modern age segregated comprehensive youth ministry, we're not rejecting ministry to youth. We're not rejecting discipleship of youth at all.

We're saying that Scripture properly defines ministry to youth. And so we wholeheartedly embrace and we promote generous investments in ministry to youth in compliance to Scripture. And so we want to define it. And let's begin with the biblical record on youth ministry. First of all, youth ministry is a well-developed theme in scripture.

Youth ministry is a very well developed theme in scripture. You can go to Genesis 18, 19, Exodus 10, 1 and 2, Deuteronomy 4, 9 through 10 and dozens of other other texts to find commands patterns and principles that speak to ministry to youth it's a tremendous priority of Scripture From the Old Testament to the New Testament, you'll find dozens and dozens of texts that affirm it. Secondly, Scripture shows the consequences of neglect of youth ministry. We can turn to Judges chapter 2 verses 10 and 11 where we read that there was a generation that did not know the Lord. This is a youth ministry text.

It tells a story of what happened in a culture regarding its youth ministry. That's what Judges chapter 2 is all about. And it displays a tragic situation that as the children of Israel were going into the Promised Land that the children had not been ministered to. There are many places we could go to speak of this tragic consequence of neglect, But let's move on. Ministry to youth must conform to scriptural patterns and commands.

That's what the biblical record really indicates. We affirm that youth ministry should conform to Scripture, which shows patterns of the older teaching the younger, of parents walking beside their children, and those who desire to be wise walking alongside the wise. That's all about youth ministry. We affirm that youth ministry meetings should be patterned after the Old Testament and New Testament patterns of age integration that incorporate both the young and the old. Because throughout the Old and the New Testament, we consistently find examples of age integration as opposed to age segregation.

We want to affirm tonight that ministry to you should follow the example of Jesus who embraced all ages simultaneously throughout his ministry. This is the normative pattern. So the youth ministry must conform to scriptural patterns and precepts. Next the biblical record indicates that the family has the primary responsibility for ministry to youth. And so we affirm that the lion's share of ministry to youth occurs in the home, either for good or for bad.

And we affirm that fathers have the primary responsibility for ministry to youth in the family. And we affirm that mothers and grandmothers supply critical elements to ministry to youth in the same way that Timothy's mother and grandmother did. Particularly in a situation where there's no father in the home, as it probably was with Timothy. We affirm that scripture places an emphasis on the family for the training of the next generation and provides explicit instructions about how to do that. Deuteronomy chapter 6, the famous Shema, Psalm 71, Psalm 78, all make this very, very clear.

We affirm that marriage is one of God's central tools in ministry. Did you think that marriage was a youth ministry tool? It absolutely is because God created man and woman to become one flesh. Why? Why marriage?

You know the answer Malachi Chapter 2 verse 15 says for godly seed Marriage is one of the most wonderful Youth ministry tools that God has placed on the earth. If you want vibrant youth ministry, have a vibrant marriage. Gaze into that little woman's eyes and hold her hand and help her and be a blessing to her and you'll have youth ministry like no one can compare with. We also affirm that ministry to youth includes the hearts of fathers turning to their children and the hearts of children turning there to their fathers as we read in Malachi chapter 4 verse 6. We know that a sign of revival, a sign of the Gospel, is that hearts of children and parents turn toward one another.

The Gospel is the... The Gospel and its entry into family is one of the most significant forces for youth ministry. We affirm that effective youth ministry is dependent upon self-examination of the parents. In Deuteronomy chapter 4 verse 9 we read that it's critical that parents keep their souls diligently so that they can in turn effectively teach their children. Moses says, only take heed to thyself and keep thy soul diligently lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen.

Lest they depart from thy heart all the days of your life but teach them to my thy sons and I daughters self-examination of parents is one of the most important aspects of ministry to youth before parents teach they should examine themselves How practical is that for a youth ministry principle? We affirm that youth ministry must address a rebellion against parents. There are many texts of scripture that we could cover in this, but ministry to youth should use discipline against rebellion. And it shows the disastrous effects when discipline is not given. The example of Eli is one of the most terrifying examples.

Go read the story and see the absolutely stunning jaw dropping judgment that God brings upon Eli because he did not discipline his sons. We also affirm that family worship is a key element to ministry to youth. And that the days of singing the praises of God should be so sweet for youth. We also affirm that ministry to youth should include times of family celebration. Deuteronomy chapter 12 verse 7, Deuteronomy 14 verse 26.

There are many places that we can go where God commands whole families to celebrate the gifts of the Lord. Let me just say that I have a very, very long list that we'll be including in a book on this that will come out in the first quarter of 2010. And we're going to define what is biblical youth ministry. And I could just go on and on and on with these marks of ministry to youth that make it clear that the family has the primary responsibility. There's just dozens of wonderful things that God has commanded for ministry to youth beginning in the home.

And then, fifthly, that the church has specific duties to minister to youth. Again, the biblical record says much about the family, but it also does not leave out the church, obviously. It could not. But the church has specific duties. And we want to just affirm that every Christian in the Church of Jesus Christ is charged with the responsibility to make disciples of all nations.

And That term, all the nations, includes youth. It includes the lost youth in your community and in your neighborhood. And God desiring to minister to youth delivers the Great Commission. We also affirm that the Lord Jesus Christ has perfectly configured His church to minister to youth. And in the church it's so wonderful to see that what God does for people is that He gives every person who never had a grandfather, a spiritual grandfather.

He gives every person who never had a father, a spiritual father in the church. Every person who never had a sister or a brother or a Titus II woman, there they are in the church. God has actually designed the church to minister to youth by giving the lost youth of this world something so wonderful. Dozens of fathers, dozens of uncles, and spiritual aunts, and little children. And God has configured and constructed His church perfectly to minister to youth of every age.

We also affirm that youth are members of the body of Christ. And because they are members of the body, the unified body of Christ, they should not be segregated from the other members. We also affirm that there are numerous commands and patterns that establish the importance of church leaders ministering to youth by reading scripture, by preaching the word, by praying, in intergenerational gatherings. There are many texts of Scripture to support this. One example of course is that beautiful example in the book of Ephesians and in the book of Colossians where the Apostle Paul is speaking directly to, he always speaks to husbands and wives and slaves And it's as if he turns to the children and looks them in the eye and he says, children.

And he addresses them right there in the meeting of the church. That's the way it always was meant to be. We also affirm that the evangelization of fatherless youth in this world of every generation is the responsibility of Christian families guided in the mission by godly fathers and elders in the local church. One of the questions that is constantly asked us is what happens to those who don't have families? Well the Bible has issued very, very specific commands to us to minister to the orphans and the fatherless.

This responsibility rests on all believers. God has given a responsibility that includes youth ministry to every believer. To love the fatherless and the widows and bring them in. Job, Job provides a marvelous example of this. Read Job 31 verses 16 through 22 and you'll see a man who understood youth ministry, Job the great youth minister.

Wouldn't that be a great title? The youth ministry of Job. We also need to recognize that the biblical record on youth ministry makes it very, very clear that the content of the instruction in ministry to youth is specified in scripture. And so we affirm that youth ministry includes fathers who teach about the law of God and children who ask about it. Ask thy father and he shall show thee the elders and they shall tell thee.

What? The law of God. We affirm that the content of youth ministry instruction is the truth that is found in God's word and that it must include the teaching about the works of the past and the great deeds of God in history. So ministry to you should include the teaching of history. Did you ever think of that?

All youth ministry and church and family should include history. And parents are commanded by God to recount the great deeds of God and to speak of them beautifully, to sing his praises and his strength and the wonderful works that he has done, says Psalm 78. The focus of youth ministry is the doctrine of God. To pass on a view of the majesty of God, the supremacy of Jesus Christ in all things. That's the content of youth ministry.

We affirm also that the entire book of Proverbs is dedicated to ministry to youth. It was written by a father, four fathers, to children. And so ministry to youth should always include the entire book of Proverbs. That's why the terms my son, my son appear so often in the book of Proverbs. We affirm that ministry to youth should not include un-Christian ideas or the spirit of the anti-Christ.

1 John 4, 1-3 identifies the spirit of the Antichrist. Any spirit that does not say, Jesus Christ is the Son of God, is the spirit of the Antichrist. I think that means that it's wicked to send your children to go be instructed under those who have rejected Jesus Christ as Lord. They are under the ministry of the Antichrist. And so ministry to youth should not include that.

We affirm that ministry to youth should lead young people away from godly culture instead of towards it. Joshua, in Joshua chapter 20 verse 14 said, As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Meaning he wasn't going to go the way of the Gentiles. He was going to take his whole family, Joshua the great youth leader, who said as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. So The content, actually the very content of all youth ministry is defined in Scripture.

Isn't that wonderful? You don't have to go make it up and figure out some new cool thing to do. And then seventh, generational faithfulness is emphasized throughout Scripture in the text that deal with ministry to youth. And that it promotes prosperity and a vision of the next generation. And that fathers must give themselves to more than their own children, but also to their children's children.

It's a vision across the ages. A man doesn't stand alone in his generation. He always stands, carrying something, sending something forward into the next. Now, can't you just say with me, there is no youth ministry like the youth ministry of God. Nothing more wonderful exists than that.

Nothing more comprehensive, nothing more tender, nothing more real, nothing more practical and day-to-day than God's youth ministry. You can't beat it. Compare that with the modern invention of youth ministry today. How sick and weak and stupid it is when you stack it up aside biblical youth ministry. Now, God must love youth so much to give so many commands for their care.

These tender shoots so need the sweetness of fatherly care in the home and in the church. Now, I'd like to, now that we've cast a vision for what really ought to be and what is more beautiful than you could make up on your own. I would like to turn the discussion to the characteristics of modern youth ministry. And of course this is not comprehensive at all, but just a number of things that we need to be reminded of. This innovation, this invention of man has a number of things that we can say about it.

First of all, significant financial resources are dedicated to it. You know, during the rise of modern youth ministry, there actually was a quantifiable shift in spending in churches. And as the 20th century rolled on, as it got toward the end, churches were spending millions and millions of dollars incurring massive debt to build family centers and things like that and youth entertainment rooms and rock climbing walls. Name it and massive amounts of money were spent. And, you know, funds from churches were shifted from edification and evangelism to entertainment under the guise of evangelism.

Then significant personnel were allocated to sustain it. During the 70s and the 80s, pastors believed that getting a youth ministry was a strategic priority. And by the end of the 20th century, trained professionals were the only ones thought to be qualified to deal with the problems of youth. And parents were willingly, happily, sending their children over the wall into their arms. And so for the first time in history the church allocated trained youth ministers to maintain youth programs.

First time in history as far as I know. Thirdly, major cottage industries have grown up around it. Modern youth ministry is being fueled by multi-million dollar industry. It's supported by churches, parachurch organizations, publishers, non-profits and educational institutions. This is why it's really dangerous to poke your finger in the bubble of youth ministry.

Because there's so much money at stake. There are thousands and thousands of jobs on the line here. And so to touch it is to put your finger in a fire. I'm fairly confident, honestly, that some of the negative reaction that has arisen and will inevitably arise against this book that we're writing at the NCFIC can be discerned by that sage wisdom, Follow the money, because enormous resources are dedicated to it. And then, fourthly, church leaders set aside the commands of God for church and family life in order to grow it.

And so biblical Christianity ends up getting traded for excitement and hipness. And it takes on the legendary proportions that many youth ministries are noted for in their entertainment, in their frivolity, which is just normal. It's what the youth do. Let's now talk, these are just some of the top level characteristics, But let's also talk about the effects of modern youth ministry. These are just sort of ground level, you know, street level, church level, family level things.

First of all, fathers are eliminated from it. They're not acknowledged, not trained, not held accountable to fulfill the role which God has called them in Scripture. And so, it happens that in modern youth ministry, the roles of fathers are usurped. Even actually the role of preaching is often usurped. And corporate prayer and fellowship is usurped by this ministry.

And the harsh reality is this. We have now an entire generation, actually probably two or three generations, without fathers who walked beside them because they were walking in the ways of the Gentiles in their youth ministries. So fathers were eliminated, but it wasn't just that. Rurally practices were used to popularize it. And youth ministries core structural paradigm is age segregation.

And it's a worldly practice. We'll talk about that more later. But it's based on a philosophy that accepts the idea of removing children from their families and segregating them by their age. And then, a third effect, really a tragic one when you think about it, is that cultural fragmentation is used to unify it. What this means is that through age segregation, a wall is built between the family and the church and creates different cultures.

It creates a cultural fragmentation. And when the cultures are segregated, they're segregated and they're allowed to develop and they're sort of like cancer, they create something strange and messed up. Like if you just put seniors together, life doesn't really get better for them. If you put singles together, it really doesn't get better. I'll never forget a singles minister of a large church came to me under the cloak of darkness, because you didn't want to see anybody talk to me, you didn't want anybody to see him talking to me, said, I don't think our singles are getting more mature by being together.

I think they're getting less mature. I think they need to be together with the adults and the children and the seniors. That's what they need. But cultural fragmentation divides the unity of the body of Christ. And it rages against all the pictures of unity of the church that God desires.

And then there is evangelistic impotence as the result of it. There's really a failure of evangelism. We thought that youth ministry would be an evangelistic coup and we would reach a lost generation. It was a false promise. And there's this dichotomy that you always run into.

It goes like this. Either you're having age segregated programmatic youth ministry and you're evangelizing, or if you're not, you're not evangelizing. The two have become one and mutually exclusive. But The actual truth is, modern youth ministry has not led to success in evangelism at all. And there are many statistics to prove that.

Well, let's ask some necessary questions. There are three questions that we should ask, but let me just suggest that only one of these three is necessary. So, here's the first. Is it biblical? Is this modern invention biblical?

Number two, did the philosophy originate from godly or worldly philosophers? And then thirdly, does it produce good fruit? And so those are the questions. And let me just be very, very quick about these questions. Is it biblical?

No. From Genesis to Revelation there's not a shred of evidence for age-segregated programmatic youth ministry. Look for... Look... The burden of proof is on those who practice it.

I have yet... I have yet to have anyone give me a biblical argument from a command or a pattern of scripture that would support age-segregated programmatic youth ministry. Like my fellow elder Jason Doan likes to say, look, look, look until your eyes bleed. You'll never find it. It doesn't matter where it came from.

But we'll just be very quick about this. The idea came from educational revolutionaries, French rationalistic philosophers who hated God, they hated the Bible, they hated the family, and they hated children. Rousseau, Dewey, and a lot of them, picking up Darwinistic philosophies and injecting it into an educational system. So here we are now at the end, I hope it's the end of a 50 year failed experiment. Could we, I pray really that God Almighty would come and work, and I believe He is working.

He is working all over the place with youth ministers to reform it and many to kill it and others to leave it. But it's a failed 50 year experiment. A youth ministry expert who lives in my town, professor at Southeastern Seminary, says this, it is obvious that youth ministry in America has not produced a generation of young people who are passionate about the church. That's true. Absolutely true.

Consider this. Absolutely true. Consider this. Consider that in every generation there are various weeds that find health in the church and they're planted and then over time they grow. And I want us to grapple with this whole idea that that youth ministry is a weed that has gained root in the church and it's had a long time to grow and the roots have grown around everything in the church so that when you start pulling on that weed, You're actually pulling on everything.

You're pulling on the entire fabric of the church. When you pull on the weed of age segregation, you're pulling on almost every program in the church. You're pulling on the philosophy of the church. You're also pulling on the capital assets of the church when you pull on that weed, because they're wrapped around every building and every piece of literature that's there. Tug on that weed and you're pulling on those nursery workers.

You're pulling on that wonderful elderly grandmotherly woman who's been there for 35 years in her rocking chair taking care of the youngest children. You pull on that weed, you're yanking on the senior adult class. You're pulling out the singles class. You're yanking on the youth group and the third grade. You're pulling out, you're pulling on the entire Sunday school infrastructure, which is an absolute beast to manage.

You know what I'm talking about. Try to find Sunday school workers. Beg them, bribe them, guilt them to death Sunday after Sunday. Tell them that it will all fall apart unless you fill the gap. You're pulling on the curriculum and the budget that supports it.

You're actually pulling on the configuration of the staff and the strategic personnel plan that was crafted in prayer. You're even worse you're pulling on people's affections. Because when you pull on that weed you're also pulling on the desires of youth themselves and hey they like the media center, hey they like the gym, you know They like the Game Boys and the gigantic screens and the blasting sound systems that you installed for them so that they have a great time. The roots are wrapped around the big picture financial priorities of the church the strategic plan the vision the budgeting process and everything connected to it so here here what we've got in our day is a weed that's in the church. And anybody who tries to pull on that weed is in big trouble.

We know it, we've been in that, we've been in trouble for a long time yanking on this weed but let's just be perfectly clear we can go quit yanking on this weed because because why because it is completely unbiblical that's why yes the fruit is bad secondary and importance yes it came from French revolutionary, wicked philosophers, secondary but important to consider. But the real issue is that it contradicts scripture. Now, I want to give you ten reasons why we believe age segregated youth ministry must be rejected. Number one, there is no evidence that this practice ever did or should exist among the people of God. Again, look, look, look until your eyes bleed.

Second, it is not commanded by God. Third, it is a methodological contradiction to clearly define biblical principles and examples. Modern age-segregated programmatic youth ministry is so different than anything we see in the Bible. It's weird, it's an aberration, it's a monster. You have to go off on your own to make it, because you can't get it out of this marvelous book.

Number four, it's based on anti-Christian philosophy, communicated by philosophers who fundamentally deny the authority of Scripture and the instruction of God. Number five, It is contrary to the ministry patterns of the Lord Jesus Christ. Read the Gospels. Try to find youth ministry like age-segregated, programmatic youth ministry. It is contrary to the discipleship principle found in Proverbs 13-20.

Proverbs 13-20 says, He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed. I was talking to a guy today who said, this is all he needs. This is all you need to destroy the practice of age-segregated youth ministry One verse is all you need. I think he's right. Absolutely Number seven it often involves the creation of church offices not ordained by God.

What are the offices in the church ordained by God? Senior pastor, youth minister, singles minister, and sports minister, right? Aren't those the ones that you find in Scripture? Well, wait, wait, no, no. I think there are actually two offices, and only two offices listed in scripture.

Elder and deacon. Number eight, it subverts fathers and turns the hearts of children away from their parents and toward their peers and their youth leaders. At a time when children so need to learn how to honor their fathers and mothers. Fathers and mothers get sick and tired of the trouble and they flip them over the wall into the youth ministry thinking that will fix it, but it only makes it a million times worse. Because children need to be learning how to honor their parents.

And the youth ministry process actually teaches them to rebel against their parents by and large. Of course, there are many youth ministers who would try faithfully to speak against this, but by and large, this is the pattern. Many years ago, Doug and I did a conference in a certain city and we were called up by the leaders of that conference and they said, we want you to know that we operate a large homeschool co-op and of thousands of people in a large facility. We found that there's been theft and immorality and drug use among these homeschoolers. And we want you to know that we've found them, we've caught them, and we want you to know that we've told them that they can't come back into this facility until they go to this father-son retreat that you and Doug are putting on.

So we were happy that they informed us of this and that they were there sitting down over lunch. I was speaking with one of these men and he said I said well say so what's what's the takeaway from this what did you learn he said here's the number one principle that I'm thinking of right now he said we've learned that it doesn't matter how nice the family is doesn't matter how good the church is when you get children together, they corrupt one another. That's what he said. Number nine, it turns the hearts of the children away from their parents and toward their peers and youth leaders. It actually diverts attention.

And then it is divisive to the church by creating generational division and multiple cultures instead of a unified one body. This is perhaps one of the most harmful things, is that it takes human beings out of a creation order context that includes the littlest child to the oldest gray-headed grandfather or grandmother. And by depriving them of this breadth of relationships, they become increasingly selfish and wicked because they do not have this beautiful internal government that God has infused in the world by nature. It inhibits the discipleship process by separating parents from their children. And it transmits, it harms the transmission of a multi-generational world view.

Okay, here's our conclusion. Three points that we would like for you to consider. Number one, the philosophy and practice of comprehensive age segregated programmatic youth ministry is first of all inherently is indisputably unbiblical in its pattern. Secondly it is undeniably unchristian in its origin and thirdly it is inherently destructive in its impact. Those are really the only problems we have with youth ministry as it's conducted today.

Just three, there are really only three problems with it. Now here's our message. It's time to root out and to replant. We want to approach this like the prophet Jeremiah who came to the people and saw the destruction that had come about because of the rejection of the sweet sufficiency of Scripture, the damage it had done, the broken down families, the broken down houses, the broken down church, the devastated personalities, and the children who are being harmed by rejecting the Word of God. And he said, see, I have this day set over the nations and over the kingdoms to root out and pull down and to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant.

Brothers and sisters, it's time to root out the weed, to pull down the house of invention. But what? But replace it with the beautiful vision of biblical youth ministry that is so multi-faceted, that is sweeter than anything a man could ever conceive of. Would you join with me in putting your hand on the weed, fearlessly, for one reason. It is not ordained of God.

Would you pray with me? Oh Lord, we pray for help. We become increasingly aware of how much there is to pull down and root out in us. And yet every time we do, it is sweet and it is good and it gives us life. And you have said to love this law that we convict us of our sins, for it is your life.

Thank you Lord for your ways, which are pleasant ways and all your paths peace and you are a tree of life to those who embrace you and those who lay hold of you will be blessed.