Here it is, Never The Same’s blog! We hope you’ll go on this journey with us as we learn and share about one of our greatest hopes: young people. You are probably reading this because you know about us, or you believe in the power of a student’s life fully surrendered to God.
Your time is precious. Let me share why taking your time to read and hopefully interact with us will be worth it.
#1 25 MILLION
There are 25 million teenagers in the United States. They are a large part of our society, and get this: by 2018 40% of all adults will be Millennials, meaning 4 out of 10 adults will be part of this new generation of young people.
This is a great time and opportunity to invest in our future, in people that matter to God, and whose hearts are still moldable. The future depends on them, and we must identify this and do something about it.
#2 THINGS MUST CHANGE
“Group of teenagers” – when you hear this phrase in the media, it’s rarely good. There are so many good things that are happening in students’ lives and while we can’t ignore the challenges young people face, we need to change the way people think about teens.
Someone said to my parents when I was a baby “I feel so sorry for him to be raised in such an evil world.” Perspectives haven’t changed much since then. People often lament the world students face, but face it without Christ and without hope. My father felt sorry for this woman who made this comment for having such a bleak outlook of our world. As Christ-followers, there is always hope. You will find hope here in our words, in our outlook, and in our message.
We need to assist people in seeing how important it is to help shape students, not abandon them.
#3 GET INSIDE THE MIND OF A STUDENT
Our organization connects with students across the nation. We listen carefully, we research, we want to learn. Our aim is to share this with you and together better understand what students believe, what they do, and what we can do to help them.
Knowing this gives us a forecast of things to come. When we can better understand what they know, don’t know, struggle with, and want to change, this helps to know above all else, HOW TO PRAY for them.
*Here’s what our blog is about:
IT’S ABOUT STUDENTS.
It’s about what they’re thinking, what they believe, what they do, and what they need from us.
IT’S ABOUT YOUTH MINISTRY.
It’s about why it’s important, more than ever before, to have strong and healthy youth ministries.
IT’S ABOUT YOUTH MINISTRY & THE CHURCH.
It’s about how churches can help students & vice versa. What would happen if every church in America had a strong vibrant group of young people who were not only surrendered to Christ, but also plugged in to their church body? I believe this reality is a game changer!
Thanks for reading!
Jeff Eckart, CEO
Never The Same
© 2014, Never The Same