Giving youth pastors the tools they need to make and shape disciples.

Helping Teens Follow Jesus

2 · 24 · 23

This post was written by AI. I asked the AI in a note creating, word organizing platform called Notion to write a blog post using this post’s title: How To Help Teens Follow Jesus. Here is the post it gave me.

Introduction

Being a teenager can be a challenging time in life, full of changes and new experiences. As parents, caregivers, or mentors, we want to help teenagers navigate this time with faith and guidance. One of the most important ways we can do this is by helping them follow Jesus. In this blog post, we’ll discuss three ways to help teenagers follow Jesus.

ME: AI is off to a strong start telling us how to help teens navigate faith by following Jesus.

Building a Strong Foundation

The first step in helping teenagers follow Jesus is by building a strong foundation. This means helping them understand the teachings of the Bible and the importance of prayer. Encourage them to read the Bible and spend time in prayer daily. Attend church services together and participate in Bible studies or small groups. It’s important to model these behaviors for teenagers, so they can see the importance of making faith a priority in their lives.

Me: Nailed the foundation part, Bible and prayer but it goes a step further and encourages modeling this behavior in front of students.

Living Out Their Faith

It’s not enough to just talk about following Jesus; teenagers need to see it in action. Encourage them to live out their faith by serving others and being a positive influence in their communities. Volunteer together at a local food bank or participate in a community service project. Encourage them to use their talents and gifts to serve others and make a positive impact. When teenagers see how their faith can impact the lives of others, they are more likely to take ownership of their faith and make it a priority in their lives.

ME: Ok, this is scary. AI is saying talk isn’t enough, action must be taken and then offers some suggestions. AI also shares a compelling reason for taking action, “how their faith can impact the lives of others, they are more likely to take ownership of their faith and make it a priority in their lives.” So far so good.

Providing Positive Role Models

Teenagers are heavily influenced by the people around them. As parents, caregivers, or mentors, we need to provide positive role models for teenagers to look up to. This means being intentional about the people we allow into their lives and the activities they participate in. Encourage them to spend time with other Christians who share their values and beliefs. Provide opportunities for them to develop mentor relationships with older Christians who can provide guidance and support.

ME: AI is suggesting teen be careful of who they associate with. Can’t argue with this.

Conclusion

Helping teenagers follow Jesus is an important task, but it can also be a rewarding one. By building a strong foundation, living out their faith, and providing positive role models, we can help teenagers navigate this challenging time in life with faith and guidance. Remember to be patient and consistent in your efforts, and trust that God will work in their hearts and lives.

Me: Couldn’t have said it better myself, or could I have?

My Conclusion

I don’t want to use AI to write my articles because AI lacks my personal experiences.

AI can’t tell you my story of what and who helped me follow Jesus as a teen.

AI can’t tell you that because those people helped me follow Jesus as a teen, I made a 30+ year career of helping teens follow Jesus and helping other youth pastors do the same.

But does it matter if AI wrote it? Do just the facts matter even if there’s no person, story or passion behind it? It does to me and I hope it matters to you.

If you’re a youth pastor who’s reading thing, let me encourage you to stay away from artificiality in your message, in your programming and in your discipleship.

We have enough artificial religion in the world that wants to give up on the authentic work of making disciples. Outsourcing the work that needs to be done by you, and only you, can only result in artificial relationships which , I believe, results in the perception of an artificial Jesu and an artificial faith. Authenticity is messier but at least it’s real.

I, me, the real person will continue to type out with my own ten fingers, stories, processes and ways for you to help teenagers follow Jesus.

If you’d like to receive a newsletter a few times a month from a real person who cares about your youth ministry, sign up here.

Related Posts