Making Loyal Customers

ABSTRACT Youth ministries are in a state of transition. Formerly effective models of youth ministry are proving to be ineffective for youth born in the 1980′s, the Millenials. Today's youth are feeling alienated from the church community and are often treated like a separate subculture, uninvolved in church life outside their own sphere. While contemporary discussions about these issues largely focus upon the format and structure of youth ministries, this article concerns itself with the content of those ministries. While not discussing what youth are taught, this article emphasizes the need to ground youth in what we teach them so that those teachings will be long-lived in the youth. Specifically, this article presents ideas, based on established social psychological theory, which may help to develop in our youth resistance against a bombardment of messages from our culture which are contrary to our religious principles, values, and beliefs.