Stress, the High School Student and Community

Last night at The Garage we talked about community. And, it was pretty special. News flash time:High School Students Care Deeply About Community. It's got to be tough to be a high school student today. The demand for their time and attention is constant. When I asked our students how many of them were stressed out, almost all of them raised their hands. Sure, it's May, and that's a crazy time for students, but I'm convinced that I could have asked that question at any point in the school year and received the same response. And, that makes me wonder . . .

How can we do a better job of alleviating the stress load that our high schoolers are under?

Why do we push our students to be involved in so much?

How much is too much?

How much should a high school ministry at a church offer?

Do our students have any idea what it means to experience authentic community in the way that they live their lives?

We are in the midst of reimagining what student ministry can be in the lives of high schoolers. One of the things that we are sure of is that living life on the ragged edge isn't what God has called us to. We are also convinced that we need to live life in community. As we look at the upcoming year, we are getting ready to experience community like never before. Randy Frazee's book Making Room for Life has been very helpful for us as we take a look at what our future could look like.

We're imagining small groups that meet in the neighborhoods where our students live. We're talking about changing the world one neighborhood at a time. We're talking about the believers gathering daily -- and we truly believe that can only happen if the church is local. Imagine groups of teenagers meeting together in their neighborhoods for the common goal of honoring God by making more disciples for Jesus Christ. Imagine this happening as they commit themselves to spiritual growth.

Frazee talks about what all small groups should have in his book. He uses the acronym SERVICE. Our students resonated with these things.

Spiritual Formation
Evangelism
Recreation
Volunteerism
International Missions
Care
Extend Compassion

So, what do you think? How do we help high school students navigate today's world so that they do not become workaholics who never experience true community?