Getting teenagers interested in Orthodoxy?

Teenagers want to rebel. Their faith can be a bold statement in their life. They have to stop thinking of it as something they are conforming to because their parents like it, and think about the fact that in a world full of people telling them what they should and should not care about, they are making a different and better choice. Studying the lives of the saints might not seem like a fun activity, but if presented in the right way, they can learn from those examples of Orthodox Christians who are strong, who stand up to governments and attackers and oppressors, and who endure persecution without complaint. That's real strength and real rebellion, and it's better than pretending to "rebel" by wanting what everyone else tells you you should want. The Orthodox Church isn't about being a good kid because your parents tell you to, and it shouldn't be associated with the often negative or weak image presented by other Christian groups that are criticized in popular culture. The Church has a rich and impressive history, and committing to it is a bold statement just as it was in the beginning, and always has been.

Just my thoughts. I have no experience working with teenagers, but I was one not too long ago, and I think you really need to appeal to what they want. They don't want Christianity to be "fun" or to change to suit the culture- they want to pursue things that have meaning to them.

I don't know if anyone here has ever read the book 'Youth of the Apocalypse' or the 'Death to the World' Zine by the St Herman of Alaska brotherhood but it takes an interesting approach to this subject.

The premise of the book is that in this age of apathy and cheap fixes it is Orthodoxy that is the the rebellion, as it rejects the values of this world. I have found many amongst my friends (Mainly metalheads and Punks) who agree that they are getting tired of this mindset and I have found that a lot of young Orthodox feel that things such as Christian Metal do not allow them the values they seek.

The problem with many young Orthodox is the same as with many other young Christians, they are raised in an atmosphere of Christian values and wish to discover others. I come across this all the time in the School I work in. They want to be themselves and rebel against anything they see as preventing this. It is hard for anyone to cope with that (I am sure we have all been through that stage before) so they will oppose their environment to seek their 'own way.'

My view on how to avoid this is to teach that Orthodoxy is not a restraining force but a freeing one, which it is. Though Orthodoxy is seen as strict to many who come from another background it does not inhibit expression and I think this should be emphasised. They are effectively free to express themselves as long as they are respectful, and respect is something all youth crave.

As well as this, being educated in the faith is important. Many young Christians struggle with faith in their teens as they are told what to do but not why. I have found this also causes problems with new converts in my local community as they try to make sense of why we do things in Church and turn to sources outside of the Church to help them, leading to them expressing themselves in another way. If the Orthodox youth are taught why the Church believes things, and it is explained in a way they can understand, I feel that it will allow their faith to survive any niggling questions. Education in why we believe rather than just saying what to believe and a keen understanding of Orthodoxy as an experience, not a form of social constraint is key in my view.

(Sorry for the long post.)

Do not apologise. It is something that needs to be addressed.

My better half always says how when she was younger she could not justify the reasons she did things in church when confronted by others, and found that many Orthodox in south India ended up going to the protestant churches for answers, which caused issues with family and their Children's views (Some even saw receiving communion in others as OK because noone had said otherwise.)

I would say you address your father and get his view as to whether you should address the GOARCH director, that way he will not feellike you are going over his head. If it has his blessing it would hold more weight.

There's an interesting quotation I found a little while ago (from a non-Orthodox source):

"You are paving the way so to speak and because the head of the arrow creates heat as it moves through the air, so are you often catching heat from those not yet able to fully understand what you are doing, believing, or trying to tell them. Let this be of no concern. Your work is not to drag the world kicking and screaming into a new awareness. Your job is to simply do your work sacredly, secretly, and silently which will emanate light wherever you are and those with eyes to see and ears to hear, will respond"

One reason many teenagers in our increasingly secular society are abandoning Christianity is because they have been raised in communities that have been cut off from Holy Tradition. And of course, without the lens of Holy Tradition, churches and individuals are free to interpret the Scriptures in accordance with their own biases and their own egos- creating an idol. As well, this separation from Holy Tradition has caused Western Christianity to break from the mysticism that abides in the heart of the Church. Because our youth are not being nourished by this tradition, they are seeking this mysticism elsewhere, whether it be in New Age movements, Tantric Buddhism, or Hinduism, or yoga, etc.

All we need to do is simply to keep teaching the tenants of our faith to others: that through humility and the dissolution of egotistical passions through unconditional love, spiritual labours, and ceaseless prayers directed to our Lord Jesus Christ, we can reach a stage of enlightenment that will lead to theosis- our union with God and our souls' return to their natural state.

To the next generation, which is riddled with individualism, materialism, and egotism, our tradition is like a hidden treasure brought up slowly from the bottom of the sea. With increased awareness and education, youth will see that the Orthodoxy offers a spiritual liberation through the love of Christ that they will find nowhere else.

I'm a teenager (17) and I've been interested in Orthodoxy since I was around 132. The reason is because God gave me a lot of suffering in my life, to which I needed answers. Also, I'd always been raised with a firm conviction that Orthodoxy is the true faith from my mother who converted about five years before birth. In conjunction with the first two reasons, I also attended a protestant school where I had to defend my faith against reformed theology. My suggestion is that it must start with the parents 1. Live Orthodoxy with conviction. If you go about your days acting in a most un-Christian manner, your child will realize that Orthodoxy is not a way of life, just a Sunday social club. 2. Teach them about the faith. If your kids are young, read to them and tell them lives of the saints in addition to theology. If your kids are acquainted with the lives of the saints, they will know that men and women from all time have lived the Orthodox faith. Read to them especially the modern Fathers (St. Herman of Alaska, John of San Francisco.) 3. Have them do some sort of ministry within the Church. If they're a boy; the alter. If they're a girl; the choir (or another ministry available in the Church.) 4. If you're not in an English speaking parish (or the language of your land) I would highly suggest you try to find one that speaks English. The hymns of the Church tell us the Gospel. Not to mention, your kids will also see Church as an ethnic hang out instead of the Bride of Christ.