A Culture of Youth Groups and A Church Without One

New City Church downtown doesn't have a Youth Group. We live in a culture that highly values church Youth Groups. Most people have never questioned church Youth Groups, they simply assume that these groups are good - are best for kids. After all, most churched people grew up with some kind of a youth group AND every 'real' church has one. In fact, not having a youth group is often interpreted as a sign that a church doesn't care about kids (and THAT's a bad sign).

I want to share some posts as I think and re-think the Youth Group questions. The thinking and re-thinking comes as we continue to have questions about NCCd not having a youth group and on the heels of one family leaving NCCd and another close to leaving over the same issue. I want to say up front that I believe we have freedom within Scripture to have a youth group or not, and that neither is RIGHT, and either can be WRONG. I also would like to remind everyone that all Youth group experiences are not the same - yours may have been great while others were horrible - or vice versa.

So, I will begin a series of posts with the numbers...

I have heard many times that youth "really enjoy an environment with their peers." "They need a time to be together with people their own age."

I cannot argue that kids need time with their peers.

I would not argue that kids enjoy hanging out with other kids their own age.

HOWEVER - I would ask, "How much time with peers is enough?"

Here are some conservative numbers on peer to peer interaction:

Hours in a day 24 x 7 = 168 p week

Hours of sleep 8 x 7 = 56 p week
Available Hours p/day 16 x 7 = 112 p week

School Hours: 8am – 3pm 7hrs x 5days = 35 or 31% of available hours

CONSERVATIVELY - A child in school spends roughly 1/3 of their waking hours with their peers

One study shows that the average middle school child spends another 5-6 hours per week in extracurricular activities such as sports, band, etc. These events are by and large peer related events and activities as well, pushing the percentage with peers to 36%.

If we also consider travel to and from school as well as time to ‘get ready’ (for school, activities, bed…) as UNAVAILABLE time – figuring VERY conservatively at just 1 hour per day would change the #s as follows:

56 Hours of sleep
7 hours of ‘getting ready’
105 Available hours

40 hours of school and extracurricular activities with peers

38% of the average Middle Schooler’s waking life is spent with his/her peers.

** Consider that # and this One - According to one source - in 2000 the average time PER WEEK that a married father spent caring for his children (time that they were his primary focus) 6.5 hours. (or 6% of the child’s 105 waking hours of availability)

S0, How much time with peers is ENOUGH?
Just "by the numbers" is time with peers a valid argument FOR a Youth Group? Or, Is it simply more time separated from parents and the diverse Gospel Community of the whole body?