We [in youth ministry] must care about what is happening in the adolescent world. The church is called to "declare [God's] power to the next generation, [God's] might to all who are to come" (Ps. 71:18). This task, however, becomes increasingly difficult in a changing world and community context. Social rules and norms are changing, and even the process of adolescence itself is changing. To all who are experiencing this critical and often difficult phase of life, we are called to proclaim and model the hope of the gospel and the reality of a living God who cares. To care for those in transition, we must make sure that what we do in ministry takes seriously the changing landscape. Those who are committed to declaring the Lord to adolescents, then, must be committed to reconnecting the young to the collective faith community. That means we as adults must roll up our sleeves and go to adolescents, listen to them, and unconditionally care for them.

-Chap Clark
Hurt
Inside the World of Today's Teenagers