The Junior High Factor

Junior High Students Rock!

I have over a decade of experience working with junior high students, and they continue to be my favorite age group to work with. They are a fascinating bundle of weird, maturity, silliness and seriousness...and I love them! :-)  For some reason, God has allowed my own junior high years to be indelibly marked in my mind, and I can easily bring back the memories and feelings of those years. Some of those memories are great, and others I would rather relegate to a world far, far away!

One thing that continues to bubble up in many formal and informal studies is that by the time a young person reaches those junior high years, WHO they are is pretty well established when it comes to their fundamental character. The Barna Group did a study a few years ago and discovered that over half of Christians will make a decision for Christ by the time they're 13. Once they get past the age of 18, the chances decrease. Now, I would never limit the capacity for the Holy Spirit to transform someone just because the statistics declare otherwise, but I think it's significant to note the importance of reaching children with the gospel...an authentic and understandable gospel...as early as possible, and demonstrating how to live that out in the world around them.

In my experience with junior high students, I found that there was an "uncanny" ability to predict the course that a student would take as they grew and became more independent based on who they were in 7th and 8th grade. Who they were in junior high became amplified as they grew and graduated and became a part of the "real world." Students who were pursuing Jesus in junior high are still close to Him and living for Him today. Students who were "playacting" the part of Christian in junior high saw no need to continue that charade as they grew older. And students who overtly thumbed their noses at all things Christ-centered continued on that path that has led to many difficult and challenging life situations.

Of the hundreds of students I've observed over the past decade, there have been a few who were far from the Lord in junior high and came into a relationship with Him in their older years. But those have been more the exception than the rule.

What's the bottom line? Parents, pastors, teachers, Sunday school leaders, youth leaders--you have a huge job and an awesome opportunity to shape the life of children, each with an eternal soul. I'm impassioned with giving children experiences early in their life that show them the importance of Who Jesus is, how much He loves them, and what a blast it is to live for Him! It's also a huge privilege to be an ambassador for Christ to young people who don't yet know Jesus. It's never too late to turn to Him!