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IS THE ‘AMERICAN DREAM’ DYING? Today’s teenagers seem to want more than college

March 15, 2011 By 31 Comments

My 19 year old son took a leave of absence after his first semester at Azusa Pacific University because he felt God called him to do something radical (APU is a place that encourages students to take faith-risks). Cody is currently in Africa for 7 months and I really think he represents a growing generation of young leaders who aren’t necessarily following the tradition route toward the American Dream of their boomer parents.

Some of the stories and photos reveal that these young adults are making a significant difference in the world.

It makes me wonder (maybe more now than ever) if the concept of a “mission year/gap year” (taking a year off before starting college and serving somewhere around the world) has legs. I don’t know. I think it’s working for my son Cody (and a few others that he’s with).

Not sure this concept is for everyone, but it’s making me do a lot of thinking.

Here’s a few blog snippets from these young leaders:

[Cody's blog] Two weeks ago I went down to the slums in Shimo and invited some parents [and children] to come to church with us…. Lucy’s mother is an alcoholic with more children than she can count or even remember. Two mothers… children, and random kids who just started following the white people… to church. Sitting in church watching a mother whose life was overtaken by alcohol was nothing like I have ever seen before. Her tough outward appearance was broken down as she began to smile and laugh. During the service her palms pressed against her eyes as a last result to hold back tears. I don’t know what she got out of the message or if her life will change… but my prayer is that she will know that she is loved and has a Maker who adores her more than she could ever imagine.


[Jade's blog] My first encounter with jiggers, I have heard of these before but have never seen what they can do. They are bugs that burrow into your feet from not wearing shoes, walking in the mud and such. They get into your skin and then lay eggs. The way you get them out is by digging into the skin with a needle.

We wrapped Lucy’s feet and went back to the house to grab her some shoes. We walked back and had Cody come with us because we knew that it would bring a smile to Lucy’s face. Sure enough she saw him and lit up, she sat with him in the shade and you could tell she was so content, she was joyful, and she felt loved.

It’s too difficult for me to separate my “dad hat” from my “youth worker hat”. I’d love to hear your perspective. Do you think we ought to encourage older high school kids to take a year off to do something significant before they enter college?

Filed Under: Azusa Pacific University, Family, Personal, posts, youth ministry Tagged With: , , , , ,
  • Grant T. Byrd

    It is easy for me to say this 3 and half years before my oldest gets to college but YES! I have always been frustrated with kids hurrying through high school and college. For what? So they can get into a job they barely like to make enough money to enjoy the weekends and two weeks off a year?
    By taking a year or a semester off, they might have their eyes open to do something HUGE for God. The only issue is paying for that year. I have seen so many teens grow up to be frustrated in a crummy job…
    I applaud you my brother, for allowing Cody to go.
    I pray God allows me grace when Keegan spreads his wings…

    • doug

      I’m sure Keegan will follow daddy’s passion…you’ve set such a great serving model for your kids.

  • http://adammclane.com adam mclane

    There is definitely something to the gap year. (or mission year, as you’re calling it)

    I don’t know that a lot of research has been done on the growth that comes from these things… but I would assume that a student grows a ton developmentally as a result of these experiences. I’ve found myself recommending them more and more… especially to graduating seniors who are a little tired of school and aren’t quite sure what they want to do with their life. It seems like they need to know their life matters and they really can make a difference before they are ready to jump into the seriousness of studying for something.

  • http://www.justinvanrheenen.com Justin Van Rheenen

    I don’t know if this is something that should trend, but I believe this is something that can’t be ruled out. Only problem I see with it is changing the paradigm of the Boomer parents who still see life in 2D (education then employment). What are some ways to get the parents on board to let little Billy or Betty to go on mission to Japan or Haiti or the slums of Chicago?

  • http://mpnickol.blogspot.com/ Mitchel Nickolauson

    I am also 19 years old and am currently a freshman history education major at a small catholic university in the middle of North Dakota (I am the Lutheran kid going to a Catholic school, Martin Luther is probably rolling over in his grave haha). Well anyways I attended your simply youth ministrys conference the other week because I am paying my college tuition by doing part time youth work at my church and you got me thinking from what you said about teenagers today want to do something radical. because this past semester I felt like what I was doing at school was just meaningless I felt like I could be doing something bigger and be making a bigger impact with my time. i watch the news stations and I hear rumors of financial meltdown and greedy wallstreet executives and how they seem to be just ripping america apart due to their selfishness. you always get told from school teachers and other adults in your life as a kid growing up “you have to get good grades in school so you can get into a good college and then get a good job and make lots of money” and i sit and think now “is that it?” I want to do something bigger deeper and more beautiful with my life than that. I know that being a teacher I can make a huge impact on the life of kids. but I can honestly say that I dont care how much money I make, I dont need more money than what I know what to do with. I attend a pretty conservative church and it makes no sense to me that the same people who tell me that God is enough and that God will supply all of your needs are the same people who are the big rich people who for the most part worry about Dave Ramsey’s five easy steps to Financial Peace.
    you know I see the terrible images of the destruction in japan and I see greedy sinful man tearing apart God’s creation but I am reminded that their is hope for tomorrow and that soon whats wrong will be made right and the storm clouds will clear. My biggest role model in my life is my father and he is a full time charter bus driver. Just a few days ago, the same day of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, North Dakota experienced one of the worst blizzards ever. And I will never forget what my father said when he finally got home after battling the blizzard and terrible road conditions, he said through the storm he saw a flock of geese flying north, a sign of spring coming. in our world of chaos and sinfulness, geese know that there is hope for tomorrow, that their is hope for spring time.

  • http://Thevillagechurch.net Joe Ader

    Yes, there is great merit in Missions for young people. This is particularly true for young men. As our society continually elongates adolescents into the 20s and 30s it does young people good to see a world outside of themselves and for them to learn they were designed for greater things than xbox and porn.

    Push every young person you can to the ends of the Earth and they will come back with a desire to change the world.

  • http://jamesmawatson.blogspot.com James Watson

    I hope the American dream is dying. I’m 28 and I all I saw was the rich get richer, the middle class go in debt trying to live the life of the rich and the poor stay poor. I think this younger generation is a mixed bag in that some people want more while others are still sucked into the world’s vortex of materialistic idolatry.

    As a youth pastor myself, I’m seeing that many of the students I take on mission trips, come back unable to reconcile a world of poverty, disease, and injustice with a church whose mission is to take the gospel to the nations (Obviously there is more work to be done). Whether or not we go overseas, or into the ghettos of LA, or even a place like Camp Barnabas in Missouri, these students are no longer able to ignore that there is something deeply wrong with the world in which we live. Some things you just can’t unsee. And that’s a good thing.

    This new generation truly believes that they can make a difference in this world and they are beginning to live in expectation that God is going to use them in powerful ways. Not only do I not want to get in the way of that, I want to be a part of it too.

  • http://kimberthinkn.blogspot.com Kimberly

    This is something Travis and I talk about a ton. We would really like to see our kids go out and serve with YWAM or some other organization before college. World experiences can teach us as much if not more than a classroom experience. Both experiences create a well rounded adult.

  • http://elevatingageneration.org Shawn Michael Shoup

    I think the idea of a GAP year is beneficial to graduating students. My two high school girls are both considering dedicating their first year after graduation to a missions orphanage they visited in Creel, Mexico, last summer.

    Our denomination also has a couple of immersion discipleship-type programs where students give a year of their lives to immerse themselves in biblical study and practical service: emergingleadernetwork.com and http://getignited.org. I love the idea!

  • http://childrensrelief.org Todd

    I am the director of an internship program that places college age students in Mozambique, Africa and India serving with national leaders from 3 months to 2 years. The benefits of a “mission year” are numerous. The clarity that comes from serving in such a context can “mess” a life up that you no longer want to settle for the american dream but realize that God has more to offer. You realize that your gifts and talents can be used on the mission field and that the mission field is not exclusive to pastors, teachers, or church planters. I expect to see the “mission year” become a common practice in the next 5-10 years.

    My family and I live in Mozambique for part of each year and my kids from the time they were 2 until now can tell you about “jiggers” and how they are scraped out of their feet each year. No fun.

  • Jana Justman

    After I graduated high school in 2002 I did two years in a program called Masters Commission. In this program, I learned a lot about myself, people, ministry and God. It was in this program that I gained the courage and faith to follow my call to vocational ministry. I am currently five classes away from graduating with a Masters degree in Christian Ministries. I believe the two years I spent after high school were detrimental to the long road of higher education and ministry.

    • http://EmergingLeaderNetwork.com Tim Mossholder

      Jana…after reading your entry, I think you meant to say that those two years were “not” detrimental. Correct?

  • Veronica Jacoby

    My husband and I have a daughter that is a senior in hs this year. We are also youth leaders and have several seniors in the group. We completely support this idea! We feel like we are in times that we need to be thinking “out of the box” – not just routine, but instead, giving God a chance to direct lives! Our question would be – coming from a rural community where resources are limited, how would we find ways to plug our youth into something if they were interested? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

  • http://www.scottvconnelly.com Scott Connelly

    I am a youth pastor and I have a student that wants to do mission work for a semester before goes to college but has no idea where to go to do that. What organizations are there for this?

    • Sarah Vestal

      I have had many students work with Youth with a Mission (YWAM). They can listerally go anywhere in the world to do this. They spend 3 monthly in a Bible Study Course and 3 months on outreach in another country or poverty striken area.

    • Grant T. Byrd

      I would suggest checking out http://www.jlife.org.za J-Life is a great organization that trains students to lead out in youth ministry there in South Africa. I have worked with them for over 5 years and I am thoroughly impressed with them. I know that they are a great organization!

  • Roberto

    The Mormons send their teens out- why not Christians as well. Even if the student does not end up in full-time ministry or missions after graduating from college, the mission experience will benefit them throughout their lifetime.
    It would be great if Christian colleges and universities would offer formal programs of delayed admissions, or leaves of absence for those already enrolled, to students willing to engage in a longer term mission assignments. Maybe even a break on tuition for having served (a missionary G.I. bill). APU – want to be the first?

  • Michael

    Very cool thoughts. My own experience in a year off from school was slightly different. I enlisted in the military in order to help pay for college. I wanted to go to school to become a youth pastor, so I studied Youth Ministry in my undergrad, and now I’m in Seminary. My “year off” was on a deployment where I served as a chaplain assistant for 15 months in Iraq. Similar, but very different. I point to that experience as the single most important year in my development as a minister. I think it’s very healthy for students to go through a fairly long-term, mission-type experience. It will change their lives. And now, being a youth pastor, I can give voice to my students and encourage them to do something similar.

    • doug

      Michael…wow! Very cool. Thanks for serving in Iraq!

  • http://blog.youthnativity.org Chris Wesley

    Doug,
    I did a year of service after college with the Jesuit Volunteer Corp, totally life changing. I often wonder how a year or two before would have changed my path or approach. I think it’s something we should encourage our students to do because it’s a break, a season away from the education system.
    I think what lengthy mission work teaches us is step out of our comfort zone, take risks and solve problems bigger than anything we’ve experienced before.
    It’s good to hear your perspective as a parent and youth worker.

  • http://www.sandyssayings.typepad.com Sandy Hughes

    If you are looking for a gap year ministry, check out Ventana Ministries in Mexico. They are a wonderful group of people committed to growing students in their faith while serving the local church in Mexico. We’ve spent several of our spring breaks with them and currently one of our students is doing a gap year with them! Check them out at http://www.ventanaministries.com.

  • http://jonathanholcomb.blogspot.com Jonathan Holcomb

    I don’t think that there is a one-track schedule to what students should do right after high school. However, I do know that education can open doors that otherwise would be closed. I come from a family that “preached” education. It was never a question of “are you going to college” it was “where are you going to college”. So I tend to lean heavily on that mindset. I believe that education can give you more opportunities than not having it. All studies show the financial difference in those that have just a high school education compared to a college degree (No it’s not all about money…but you need money to live). Also I think that the more time you take off the less likely someone is to go back to school.

    My advice is to get the education while you are young. Because once you are married (not to mention if you have kids early in life) you will not want to give the time, money, and effort it takes to go to college.

  • George Thomas

    After 40yrs in ministry, 32 as lead pastor, 4 children of my own now married, and 3 of them having served or serving in vocational ministry … I may at least have some credentials to speak to this. I LOVE the concept, but must admit every 18 ur old may not be ready for it. If I were still a pastor, I might utilize Jay Strack’s “Student Leadership University” as the prerequisite for students I HELPED serve the gap year right from high school. I currently have a 15 ur old grandson and this is how I am encouraging him and his youth pastor parents.

  • http://childrensrelief.org Todd

    Children’s Relief International offers internships in Mozambique and India. http://www.childrensrelief.org/
    You can also email me at todd@childrensrelief.org for more info.

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  • http://thenextgeneration.wordpress.com Adam Swensen

    Excellent post! As a senior in high school, I am personally ready to start ministry RIGHT away and struggled with society’s “You need college before anything else,” idea. Since the time i was struggling with that, I have felt God call me to apply to college and just go from there. Right now, I have applied to a college, and am just waiting on God to send me a ministry.

  • http://EmergingLeaderNetwork.com Tim Mossholder

    Amazing to see the recent swell of articles and conversation on this topic. I’m immersed in it myself, serving to help churches in my Foursquare tribe to begin schools of ministry for college-age students. Several of these programs offer significant missions experiences as part of their overall discipleship and ministry training–and all are seeking to activate them right in their own communities.

    For George, who wondered if every 18-yr-old is ready to take a year to serve and grow, I’d ask: is every 18-yr-old ready for college? Have they experienced enough life? Have they learned to serve? Do they have God’s word deep in their being?

    Once the college-debt-employment circuit has begun, it’s exponentially more challenging to step out and do something different. The post-high school season provides a unique window of opportunity to develop as a follower and servant of Jesus.

    Two other recent and related articles (VERY different) that caught my attention:

    – http://www.mondaymorningmemo.com/newsletters/read/1915
    – http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2015783,00.html

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