Dr Bruce Manners
Senior minister
Avondale College Seventh-day Adventist Church
More than 600 teenagers were asked what they felt life would be like for them in 10 years or when they turned 25. The results were compiled by the United States-based Barna Group and covered a range of issues.
Most (90 per cent) said they’d have a degree, 81 per cent expected to have great paying jobs and 80 per cent said it would be a job where they could make a difference.
The “fame” result showed 26 per cent expected to be “famous or well known” by the time they were 25. That should probably be expected when reality television creates instant fame and celebrity can be achieved without talent.
Both males and females expected fame on an equal basis, but girls were twice as likely to expect a difference-making job, to be married, to have children and to regularly serve the poor by 25.
What proved interesting was the younger teens (13-15-year-olds) were much more idealistic than older teens. Older teens were less likely to believe they would have a great-paying job, be married, have children, be serving the poor or experiencing fame by the time they were 25.
Is that merely a sense of reality kicking in?
The biggest gap involved their predicted connection to the church, with 41 per cent of the younger teenagers expecting to be actively involved in church, but that dropped to 26 per cent among those who were older.
We know these figures as a tragic reality. We, the church, fail to hold most people once they reach the late teens and early 20s.
What can we do about this? Two things: make sure Jesus is the focus of church; and that we who are followers of Jesus, whatever our age, need to continually reflect Him and His ways.
The church is rarely a drawcard, but Jesus is. Always.
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