Church isn’t just a place to make friends, have fun, and learn helpful Bible principles. It’s a training ground for the battle of life. Unless the church gets a better handle on the war for kids’ minds and finds ways to help parents equip their children, their youth will be the next casualty.

When I first got started in youth ministry 12 years ago, I did my best to emulate what I thought the typical youth ministry should look like. In Bible school, we were taught to communicate to youth the importance of avoiding certain peer pressures, to counsel those who struggle in their Christian walk, and to build numbers while maintaining a balance of the fun and the spiritual. Truly these are all good things. But is it enough?