One of the five core values of my tenure as general superintendent is that we strategically invest in the next generation.

Approximately 1.1 million of our 2.8 million adherents in the Assemblies of God USA are under 25 years of age. One of them is my ten-year-old grandson, Jacob George.

If he were to come into your youth group, I would pay attention to how well you lead him to grow in Christ. And that same concern for Jacob would lead me to be interested in your leadership of every young person who comes within the orbit of your influence.

Here is what I would like you to do for Jacob and every student you touch.

1. Love him. I realize there is always pressure on youth leaders to produce a program, to plan and execute events, and to show numerical growth. But, my grandson is not another statistic. He is a person in the image of God; and if you are going to influence him for good, then you must first love him.

I had a Sunday School teacher who invested in me when I was 15 and 16 years of age.  We called him Brother Ball. He was in his late sixties – a tall man with a shock of white hair. He was a great missionary to Spanish-speaking people – but none of us teens knew that at the time. Every Saturday night he would call us (we were high school junior boys) and ask if we were going to be in Sunday School the next morning. He kept the class interesting and permitted us free reign to ask him anything – which we did! At the end of every class, he would pray for each of us individually, his long bony fingers gripping each of us tightly on the knees as he prayed around the circle for each one. He and his wife had us over to their home for socials. Certainly, H.C. Ball and his wife, Sunshine, were not hip – they did not know all the latest techniques to reach and keep teens; but they loved us. Of that there was no doubt. They had a powerful influence on my life.

So, if you want to be effective as a youth leader, begin with love. That is where Jesus started. And He loved all the way to the end.

2. Ground him. Oh, I don’t mean take away his privileges – I mean ground him in the faith. Sure, young people need lots of activities. After all, they have energy! And, they probably need ramped up music (although I am worried about hearing loss later in life!) and lots of hype. But all that program stuff is not going to ground him substantially in the faith. So, amidst all the youth fun and games, get serious with him. Help put an intellectual floor underneath his feet so he will survive and thrive in the post-high school period. Help him to understand the solid basis for the Christian faith so he can give an answer for the hope that lies within him.

That is how I really came to Christ. I grew up in the church. I had been to all the events, heard all the great speakers, and thrived on the music. But, it was solid teaching on the historicity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ that planted my faith on the Rock.

I realize that we live in a postmodern culture where the focus is on experience. But, the gospel is also about propositional truth – either Jesus is who He says He is, or He is not. We are going to have to buck the cultural trend of thinking everything is right so long as you are sincere or have good feelings about it.

Put solid apologetic works in his hand that focus on the intellectual reality of the Christian faith. Help him to understand the validity and importance of living a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led life.

3. Challenge him. He has great potential to serve Jesus with strength all his life. Keep pushing him to go deeper into the Lord. Get him excited about Scripture. Open his world view by having him read the biographies of great Christian leaders and missionaries. Be an example to him of excellence – in your personal character and in your own diligence to study the Word of God so that you will not be embarrassed by shoddy preparation. Show him how to live.

Take him to the poor and hurting. Encourage him to get involved and be a witness in his school and with his friends, to develop his talents, to be involved with Fine Arts Festival, to go abroad or to the inner city or to a reservation through an AIM trip or some other missions venue.

Encourage him that God designed him for greatness, and that the Lord has a special plan for his life that no one else can do. 

Oh, there is so much more. But you get the drift. What I want you to do for Jacob is what I wish for every young person you touch.

The Lord has entrusted you as a youth leader to help shape the life-long destiny of the young men and women in your care. May you fulfill your ministry with excellence and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

George O. Wood
General Superintendent