Are Kids Stupid?

March 2, 2009

Kara Powell
Kara Powell

Subscribe Now!

Print Make PDF

I’ve been speaking at the Group National Youth Ministry Conference in Columbus, Ohio. It’s been a great time.

I heard an interesting story from one of the speakers. He was talking about a youth worker who had been in youth ministry for 30 years. At a recent networking meeting, this youth worker shared that that he had the best camp he had ever had. Why was that? Because he realized that “kids aren’t stupid”.

Kids aren’t stupid.

Kids can handle far more than we think they can. The next time you’re preparing a talk, break out those Bible commentaries. Your kids can handle it. The next time you’re in a conversation with a kid, ask a harder question.

Kids aren’t stupid.

©2009 Fuller Youth Institute

Subscribe Now! Print Back to top
  • http://www.robsepcblog.blogspot.com/ Rob

    Kara,

    I couldn’t agree more. This past weekend I was a guest speaker on a Sr. high youth retreat (I would’ve been in Columbus, if not for the retreat). In preparing my talks, I felt God leading me to go deep as if my target audience were adults. Honestly, I was quite worried it would tank, but I followed this prompting. My content included historical, theological, and cultural contexts, with appropriate applications to student and adult life, as well as hard questions.

    Last night, I received a Facebook message from one of the students in attendance. The following is a portion of what she wrote:

    “The concept of God and His love was new to me…. I had heard about God and prayed the generic second-grade-come-into-my-heart prayer but didn’t really believe it.

    Until this weekend.

    Saturday night I prayed with two of the leaders … and told God that I wanted to follow Him; that I was ready to start accepting His love instead of pushing it away on the basis of not being able to understand it; that I wanted to bring Him glory with my life. I died on Saturday night in order to start living… If you would have asked ANYONE in the youth group they would’ve said I was a strong Christian. I spoke in service, went on a missions trip last summer, have maintained a pure and God-honoring dating relationship for over a year, and volunteer every Sunday as ushers/welcomers in our contemporary service, but my relationship with God was rocky and virtually non-existent. I KNEW the Bible… I KNEW what His promises and His love were… but I didn’t believe. After trusting only myself for 18 years I just couldn’t “jump off that edge” and trust Him.

    But your message changed that. This weekend I felt like you were speaking directly to me.”

    I’ve been in the ministry for almost 30 years. I share this not to boast – I was not at all confident in myself on this retreat and God prevailed despite myself. Did everyone feel this way? No. Certainly some of the freshmen were a little lost, but at the same time, some of the questions I received from the students were very deep. The other adult leaders had similar feedback.

    Students by nature may be flippant, attention-challenged, and hormonal – but they are definitely not stupid. It was a valuable life-lesson for an old dawg like me.

    Thanks for the post

  • http://www.nnym.org Alon

    Amen Kara!

    Kids aren’t stupid and if we expect them to grow up and become leaders we have to challenge them and they will respond. Too many times kids are talked down to, asked easy questions, or simply expected not to know.

    Entertain some deep questions and see what happens. You never know what kind of a conversation you will have.

  • Pingback: Good Links « Neil’s Blog

  • http://www.fulleryouthinstitute.org Kara Powell

    I think a key is that in the midst of challenging kids, we remember that they are transitioning from thinking concretely to thinking more abstractly. One of the insights that came up in my track this weekend at the Group Convention was from a few youth workers who shared that they use behavioral/concrete questions to get at deeper issues.

    So for example, they fist ask, “What decisions have you made about drinking alcohol?” (a very tangible, concrete, behavioral question) and then ask, “How has your worldview been a factor in your decision?” Brilliant.

Post Tags

RelatedContent

    1. So Proud of Youth Group Kids
    2. When Kids Hurt
    3. A New Kind of Prayer for Kids
    4. Kids Aren’t Colorblind
    5. Media – With Your Kids

Latest Blog Entry

LatestArticles & Audio