How can a congregation connect with the youth of the congregation?

Part 2: Give Attention To Your Advice. By Wes Garland       Sometimes, I believe that we can forget that the youth is a different age than us and they don’t have the knowledge that we have now. When this happens, we tend to handle our youth in a way, as we would for someone who is the same age we are. In doing this, we can sometimes come off as being harsh, demeaning, and outright rude. When we don’t take into consideration their age, experience, and situation we can cause harm to them rather than good and help. This is true in dealing with anyone, our age or not! But most importantly, these youth are so impressionable, and they take advice differently. Because this is the case, we need to step back, be patient, and if we see something that needs to be advised, then do so in a HELPFUL way rather than a way that is going to cause worse things to happen. May we remember the words of Solomon in Proverbs 25:11 “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” We are called to instruct and guide the younger. We see this in Titus 2:1-7. May we remember these words, whether we are speaking to people our own age, older, or younger, THE WAY YOU SAY SOMETHING IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE WORDS THAT YOU SAY! If we take this to heart and change our approach, we can do BETTER for everyone, especially our youth!     Remember that you were their age.     How would you like to have been confronted at that age?     DO THAT!

- Wesley Garland preaches for Warners Chapel church of Christ in Clemmons, NC. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://warnerschapelchurchofchrist.org/