Most youth workers, including me, have been doing student ministry since they were students themselves. Because of this reality, there is often an unchecked issue brewing just below the surface. The issue is that we often fail to differentiate our spiritual development and needs from those of our students.

The phone rang at 1 AM. It was a mom desperate for advice after receiving a phone call that rocked her world. Her child had made a really poor decision and there was some serious fall-out from it.

I have a question to ask you.

Years from now, after your current students are married with kids, jobs, mortgages, car payments, and all the stress that comes with life…Who will they be pouring into?

Social media is huge! Teens eat, breathe, and sleep social media. Someone has said that this generation is the “technology everywhere generation.” No matter where or what teens are doing, they are usually connected to some social media network. Whether that’s Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, they are hyper-connected and social media has become how they do life. This creates a huge task for parents. The goal of parenting is not just protecting, it’s preparing teens to become godly adults who make wise choices. So parents must learn how to parent their teens in regard to social media. To do that, parents must not watch from the side lines or just protect their teens from having a Facebook or Twitter account. They must become missionaries into the teen social media culture. They must know it, navigate it, and be in it.