"Failing to invite these youth into deeper theological water only convinces them that, because they are too big for the baby pool, they have 'outgrown' the church."
taken from Practicing Passion by Kenda Creasy Dean
By letting students only experience the shallow end of a spiritual life, we only hinder their growth and development. Whether it is said or not, no one wants to go to the pool if they only spend time in the shallow baby pool.
Challenge your students to go deeper.
Challenge your students to use what they have learned in the shallow water to venture a little deeper.
Challenge your students to venture to a point where the water is over their heads.
By teaching them the basics and allowing them to safely (in the shallow end/with a safety net) experience life and connect their theology/beliefs to how they live, we are enabling them to take that knowledge and apply it when things are not so safe/easy.
But the problem is that a lot of youth workers never let the students get to the deep end.
Are some of your students ready for the "big pool?" Or maybe the question is, are you swimming in the "big pool" or are you wading safely in the "baby pool?"
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