By teaching and preaching religious values, faith communities can help shape the character of our children and give them answers to their most heartfelt questions. To support faith communities in this regard, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy's Task Force on Religion and Public Values has compiled Nine Tips to Help Faith Leaders and Their Communities Address Teen Pregnancy , which summarizes a wealth of experience and advice from faith leaders around the country. The members of the Task Force religious and secular leaders representing a broad ideological spectrum and a range of faith traditions hope these tips encourage religious leaders of all faiths and denominations to take on issue of teen pregnancy in the context of their religious beliefs . On this website, you will also find a list of helpful books, lesson plans, and other educational resources available from a number of religious and secular organizations. Teen pregnancy and birth rates in the United States have begun to decline, although it remains true that our nation still has the highest rates in the industrialized world by far with nearly one million teen pregnancies every year.
Communities of faith know that teen pregnancy is a complicated problem.
They also know that their work with young people must compete with messages from a wider culture often at odds with the ethics and morality of their religious traditions and beliefs. That's why it's so important for faith communities to get kids when they're young and to stay with them through their teen years. As teenagers yearn for spiritual guidance, faith communities are uniquely situated to minister to this need, and faith communities quite properly place questions about sex firmly within the context of religious values and moral traditions. God bless you as you continue the good work of helping young people meet the many ethical and moral challenges they confront every day. The Nine Tips Address the need teens have for spiritual fulfillment and help them find answers to the many challenging problems they face.