Today’s message is one for every adult who is listening. I’m including parents, grandparents, friends, neighbors, youth workers, teachers, and anyone else who is involved in a church where there are children and teens. My friends David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock have researched the variables that lead to young people growing into a vital adult faith in Jesus Christ. One variable that sets strong Christian young adults apart from those who leave the church is the presence of relational connections. In other words, young adults who are strong in their faith cite the church being a place they feel like they belong and connections to a community of Christians as vital to faith development. Their churches feel and function like a family. Their churches are made up of people they want to be around. To every adult who is listening we offer this challenge: go out of your way to connect and build significant, caring relationships with the children and teens in your church.