Many youth were deeply touched by the warm and humorous story of their lives which in turn helped them to hear his message. In my previous church I once asked the 65 year old senior pastor to come tell the youth group about his life. The evening was an incredible learning experience of how God had moved throughout his 65 years. Young people need to see the impact God has on people through all stages of life. They will not get that while marginalised in the youth group with no interaction with the rest of the congregation.
Adolescence is about identity formation.
Developmental psychologists teach that the issue of identity is the key matter to resolve during the teen years. Often in this period young people want to identify more with their peers than with parents. For Christian youth, that does not have to mean walking away from the faith. They can be directed and nurtured towards more healthy ways of expressing their individuality and separateness from Mum and Dad. Patrick Angier, a youth minister in Bedworth says 'Those that appear to struggle the most with Sunday morning services are often from committed church parents who may well want to choose to follow Christ but not like their parents.