Shaping the Leaders of Tomorrow Through Faith-Based Initiatives Today
... stake in the healthy development of today’s youth as they will become tomorrow’s parents, workers, citizens, and leaders. However, young adolescents, particularly black youth, ages eight to fifteen, do not become mature adults without assistance. They are profoundly influenced by experiences they have in at home, in school and around their neighborhoods. Early on, they must be provided the guidance and reinforcement necessary for making appropriate choices that lead to a healthy and happy future. In this regard, the church can be relied on more so than any other institution to reinforce parental values while providing a family- like network that nurtures and encourages the success of its members. The challenge of the black church today is to be pastorally accountable and responsible to their communities while being good stewards of the human resources – particularly our youth – entrusted to its care. In order to meet this challenge, its must take a candid look at its own waning effectiveness in keeping youth along the straight and narrow path, and be prepared to establish new directions in its approaches to safeguarding the futures of our young. ...