Preface

Have you ever just watched and listened to the teenagers in your group as they enjoy being together? As a parent, have you sat back and enjoyed watching and listening to your teenager(s)? If so, you are well aware of how they differ from one another as well as how they are similar. If not, you are encouraged to do so during your next session, or stop now and go enjoy your teenagers.

God has truly blessed you with the opportunity to teach and/or parent 21st-century teenagers. You have the timeless opportunity to influence the leaders of tomorrow as you guide your teenagers during these important years. In fact, the teenagers in your group or home today will take Jesus Christ to a world you will never know. God is using everything you are doing with them to guide your teenagers to build spiritual concepts that will last their lifetimes. They will let God minister through themselves to their world with these spiritual concepts.

Why should you take the time to watch and listen to your teenagers? They are sending you messages and signals that help you understand the way God made them. God created each one of them in His image and to glorify Him. In this sense, teaching and parenting teenagers is an act of worship that is pleasing to God.

In addition, God is teaching you how to teach and parent your teenagers. He has given you these teenagers as gifts with the promise to guide you to be the best parent and/or teacher. That is what this book is about. It is designed to be a tool for both parents and teachers in understanding the common characteristics and needs that God gives all teenagers. This book also provides insights and suggestions in accepting and helping teenagers deal with various life situations in which they might find themselves. Through prayer, God will help you understand each unique teenager and his unique life situation.

When you understand your teenagers individually the way God created them and their life situations, you are truly able to let God use you in their lives. For example, when you accept that teenagers are sensitive, you will know to teach them in ways that allow them to stay in their comfort zones. God made them to be sensitive, so why would you get upset when a teenager gets upset over something trivial from your perspective? With this understanding, carefully plan learning opportunities that will avoid making a teenager feel uncomfortable. Consequently, effective teaching and parenting are based on a positive understanding of the way God created teenagers and their life situations.

The Authors

Allen Jackson is associate professor in youth education at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. After 15 years or so doing youth ministry in local churches, Allen came to the seminary to teach youth ministers. In 1999, he founded the Youth Ministry Institute at the New Orleans Seminary, which is a framework for youth ministry training (www.youthministryinstitute.org). He has been married to Judi since 1983 and has two children, Aaron (born 1988) and Sarah (born 1991). Dr. Jackson has written or cowritten numerous articles, and five books, including Connected, Committed and a Little Bit Crazy, Into Their Shoes, Followology @ Collegiate Ministry, and Teaching Youth: Leaders, Lessons, and Lifestyles.

Dwayne Ulmer is a member of Una Baptist Church in Antioch, Tennessee, where he teaches high school students in Sunday School. He is also an experienced conference leader and writer for Southern Baptist churches.

Dwayne received his B.A. from Baylor University in journalism and his M.Div. from Southwestern Theological Seminary. He is currently completing an Ed.D. in leadership from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Dwayne has served for more than 15 years as a youth minister in local SBC churches. He is the manager of the Youth VBS-Ventures section at LifeWay Christian Resources. He is married to Beverly, and they have twin five-year-olds, Kevin and Kyle. He enjoys playing and coaching soccer and baseball/softball and riding bicycles.

Appreciation

Many thanks to the group of Southern Baptist leaders of teenagers who designed and guided the development of this resource:

     Bill Craig, LifeWay Christian Resources (Sunday School)

     Becky England, Woman's Missionary Union (Acteens®/Youth on ActionSM)

     Chuck Gartman, LifeWay Christian Resources (Sunday School)

     Art Herron, LifeWay Christian Resources (Collegiate Student Ministry)

     Alan Huesing, North American Mission Board (Challengers)

     Jeff Large, LifeWay Christian Resources (Magazines)

     Richard Ross, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Youth Ministry)

     Charles Schneider, LifeWay Christian Resources (Christian Schools)

     Pamela Smith, Woman's Missionary Union (Acteens®/Youth on ActionSM)

     Greg Skipper, LifeWay Christian Resources (Music)

     Len Taylor, North American Mission Board (Evangelism)

     Paul Turner, LifeWay Christian Resources (Discipleship Training)

     Dwayne Ulmer, LifeWay Christian Resources (Sunday School)

Suggestions for Ways to Use This Resource

As you read, consider your own teenagers. You will not find pictures of teenagers in this resource because we want to provide you with an inexpensive tool for developing your teaching skills. We also want you to think of your teenagers. To enhance your experience with this book, take pictures of your teenagers as a group, then individually. Lay the pictures on the table nearby as you read this resource. As a parent, you probably have many pictures to use for this purpose.

As you read, apply the discussion to each teenager. How does the information relate to him or her? Use the discussion to prompt a desire to know more about each teenager. As you reflect on each discussion, you will find questions to guide your reflection, headed by YQ.

In order to meet your needs as parents and teachers, you have choices as to how you will engage this resource. Some of you have access to the Internet and enjoy learning from electronic media. Others of you prefer print material that you can see, touch, and smell. In addition, as a church leader, you may want to consider using this resource in bits and pieces instead of giving your teachers the entire resource at one time. Whatever your approach, select one or more of the following options for using this resource:

Download: An Adobe Acrobat version of this resource may be downloaded at no cost. You are welcome to make copies for others in your church or school. Or print out specific articles as you need them. You will need a copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view/print this version.

Text: A text is available for $5.95 plus shipping (ISBN 0633013803). Call 1-800-458-2772 to place an order. Please allow three weeks for printing and shipping.

Leadership Development Resource Series

This resource is part of a series of leadership resources designed to equip teachers and parents as they let God use them in the lives of teenagers. The information you will explore in this resource answers the "who" and "why" questions. Who do we teach? Why do we teach the way we do? The "what" question will always be answered with the Bible. The Bible guides us in becoming Christlike in all that we do and say. It is our source of information that leads us to our living Lord.

The resources listed below help teachers and parents learn "how" to teach teenagers. They are the basic teaching books that provide information about the teaching methods that work well at home and at church. You will also find below the resources that answer the "when" and "where" questions regarding teaching teenagers. These are the administration resources for the various ministries that assist parents in guiding their teenagers to God. In addition to this resource and the Bible, additional resources are listed below and are available by calling 1-800-458-2772:

Parents
Living with Teenagers magazine
Parenting by Grace: Discipline and Spiritual Growth

Acteens^®
Teaching Youth: Leaders, Lessons, Lifestyles (Teaching)
WMU How-to: Acteens (Administration)
Accent Leadership Edition(Ministry and Evangelism)

Challengers
Leading Challengers, Second Edition (Administration)
Go! Challengers Edition (Teaching)

Discipleship Training
Teaching Youth Leaders, Lessons, Lifestyles (Teaching)
Intentional Student Discipleship (Administration)
Share Jesus Without Fear: Youth Reaching Youth to Share Jesus Without Fear: Students Reaching Students (Ministry and Evangelism)

Sunday School
Teaching Youth: Leaders, Lessons, Lifestyles (Teaching)
Youth Sunday School for a New Century (Administration)

As you use this resource, resist the temptation to compare the teenagers. Development in all areas has a wide range for what is considered "normal." This wide range means teenagers will develop skills at their own rates and in their own ways. The more you understand each teenager, the more effective you will be as a parent and teacher for each individual. Enjoy!