The Baptist Standard talks about a visit from Chap Clark talking about middle schoolers and the importance of youth workers understanding the context of their life. Here’s a clip:

Chaos, confusion and abandonment characterize youth culture today, a national youth ministry expert asserted. But he challenged Baptist youth ministers to help teens turn the chaos into the comfort Christ brings.

Christian author and youth ministry specialist Chap Clark, associate professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, urges youth ministers to spend time in the real world.

“Youth ministers cannot ignore the real picture of youth culture today–the pain, the unheard of conversations about sexual encounters and the fears of abandonment–if they want to reach teens for Christ,” Clark recently told participants at the Youth Ministry Conclave, sponsored by the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

To illustrate is point, Clark played a video clip from a Family Channel documentary called Middle School Confessions that showcased a growing trend in adolescent sexual activity.
Chap Clark

“Middle School Confessions is the best documentary on today’s adolescent and teen culture,” said Clark. “Watching even part of it–and movies such as Crash–can help youth ministers and parents understand what they face and how to better address youth.”

JG