Wednesday, April 25, 2012

What the youth of the church want is not what they get

Pondering on the meaning of music, went to the source but on the way I ran into this little coincidental correlation. The most popular searches in FtSoY are:
Dress and Appearance
Sexual Purity
Friends
Agency and Accountability
Dating

What we are teaching is

YWM 2012 [http://www.lds.org/manual/young-women-manual-1?lang=eng]
Living as a Daughter of God
Contributing to Family Life
Learning about the Priesthood
Learning about Family History and Temple Work
Being Involved in Missionary Work
Increasing in Spirituality
Living a Virtuous Life*
Maintaining Physical Health
Developing Socially and Emotionally*
Managing Personal Resources
Developing Leadership Skills





APM 2012 [http://www.lds.org/manual/aaronic-priesthood-manual-1?lang=eng]
The Priesthood
The Calling of a Deacon
Overcoming Temptation*
Using Time Wisely*

Does anyone else see the disconnect? I've put a * by the lessons which address the most searched topic in FtSoY.. It's not many. Its not that what is taught is unimportant, the topics are good ones. It is just that what youth are seeking most often is so rarely addressed if leaders follow their manuals. Clearly we're talking past each other.

Here's the Google ranking again:
Dress and Appearance
Sexual Purity
Friends
Agency and Accountability

Dating

The whole idea that appearance and dress is top is very telling. It's a superficial issue - making bad choices in these areas have no lasting consequences, yet our youth are the most curious and confused about them. The remaining issues make some sense they are trying figure out who their friends and spouses will be and how to negotiate the difficult path to lasting relationships.

Take away points?
1. We're focusing too much effort of superficiality








1. We're investing too much time in superficial issues




2. What the youth are begging for is help with friendship and sex
3. We're not doing a good job of helping them with their issues (if they knew they wouldn't be hitting the web so often) or our explanations are not very satisfying.

Can we do better?
How?












































































































































































































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