HOUSTON—The United States will have more teenagers in 2006 than at any time in its history. Alvin Reid, professor of evangelism at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, said that fact presents new challenges for today’s youth pastors and parents.

Reid spoke in a conference titled “Raising the Bar” at Houston’s First Baptist Church April 5. The day before, he spoke to youth leaders in the Dallas-t1:City>Fort Worth suburb of Grapevine.

Author of several books including his latest, “Raising the Bar: Ministry to Youth in the New Millennium,” Reid said youth pastors and parents should have higher expectations of today’s youth.

“The Bible is amazingly positive toward youth. Why can’t the church be?”

Giving Isaac, Joshua, Samuel, Esther, David, Josiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Timothy and Mary as examples, Reid said youth today need to know that God can use them mightily for his purposes.

Reid also noted that Jesus was just 12 when he said, “Do you not know that I am to be about my Father’s business?”

Although Reid said today’s books on youth perpetuate the idea that teenagers must go through some sort of rebellion stage, he said he disagrees.

“The most underreported aspect of great revivals in modern history is the role of young people,” he said. “Youth today are not irreligious. They seek genuine spirituality,”

Reid said there are four main ways youth pastors and parents can reach teenagers effectively for Christ.

He said they must first teach God’s word.

Reid said he believes churches should not pick the funniest or goofiest people in the congregation to teach youth, but that they should have the best teachers of the Bible teaching in the youth department.

Reid quoted one teenager as saying, “We know how to be teenagers; we want to know how to be adults.”

Again, Reid reiterated the idea that parents should take spiritual leadership in their children’s lives.

“Today we live in a culture where our youth pastors are the main spiritual guides in our teenagers’ lives, not the parents. I am my son’s youth pastor. Every parent should take that role.”

Reid said if Christians believe the Bible is sufficient, they should choose speakers and teachers based on their ability to teach the word rather than basing the selection process on one’s reputation as a strong communicator.

Reid said churches should also teach students how to share their faith. He cited several stories of how students who had gone witnessing with him door-to-door returned later to thank him because they were able to lead others to Christ based on what they had learned.

“Young people today are activists. They want to be a part of something,” Reid said.

He told a story of one group who attended an evangelism conference where some of them raised their hands at the end and said, “When are we going to do this?”

He said if youth pastors don’t feel competent in sharing their faith, they should be honest about it with their youth and begin to better learn the process as the teenagers learn with them.

Reid said churches should also teach youth how to worship. He said he picked up a bass guitar when he was 40. Style and talent are not the key, although some musical ability is important.

“t1:place>Nashville, Tennessee is full of restaurants with waiters and waitresses who are better musicians than you have in your church. Musical ability is not the point. There is a certain level of musical ability, but I want people who just want to know