The “faith” of most teenagers in the church is *Moral Therapeutic Deism. At Southwestern, we prepare ministers who will give teenagers the antidote to that tragic perspective.

A great question for a church to ask is, “How are our students being utilized in the overall structure of the church?” The church is a body, and the teenagers are an integral part of that body. Students need places of service and interaction in order to feel a part of the church as a whole. Research indicates that the more students are involved in intergenerational relationships, the better they “stick” with the church post high school graduation. (See research in Sticky Faith by Kara Powell.) One of the goals for student ministry is to see youth be able to function in a church as they become young adults. To facilitate this, students need experience working alongside and building relationships with adults so that the transition is smoother when they enter young adulthood.

Every Christmas season, WMU® promotes a denomination-wide offering for those serving with the International Mission Board, using 100 percent of the funds collected for missionary support.  This offering has impacted thousands of missionaries and is significant because it is named for Lottie Moon, a remarkable missionary and WMU pioneer.

If you survey the average church goer and ask if their church is involved in missions, it would be safe to assume that many are

Our God is a sending God and we are to be a sent people.