The teenage stage is the most crucial period of every person that ever lived. Yet, many teenagers are confused about what to do in life, when to do it and how to go about what they need to do. Decisions made within this period are vital in shaping the life and the future of any individual. This therefore becomes necessary for one to pay attention to the Teens Ministry. Thus, our focus is to create the platform to prepare teens for Life.

Most churches have only two departments one for children and another for adults. Since the teenagers do not really fit into any of these departments, many of them endure the services in their churches or roam about the church premises when the word is being taught

As it has already been proved, the teenager has a unique personality different from that of a child or an adult. Their needs, challenges, and desires are distinct. Until the church comes out with a programme designed to meet the needs of the teenager, we may not be able to bring out the best in them for the Lord.

The creation of a teens department was necessary because and it was contributing against the neglect of God in their life and the lost interest in the things of God, because the Word did not meet their specific needs. Example, what does the message on marriage (How to love your wife more) concern the teenager who is writing exams the following week?

In recent years, particularly in the orthodox churches, it has been established that as children pass though the teenage years, a number of them drift to Pentecostal churches and some lose interest completely in church

From a research conducted in a particular church some years ago, it was ascertained that there are three (3) main reasons teenagers are usually not very interested in church. These are:

a) Their needs are not being met

b) Low level of activity in the church

c) Inadequate knowledge concerning teenagers on the part of church leaders

To be able to take care of the factors mentioned above the need for a separate teenage department in any church cannot be over emphasized. As much as possible, every church should try and create space and provide teachers to run its teenage department separately.

AIM OF THE TEENS DEPARTMENT

The Teens church of Winners Chapel Ghana was established in line with the concept illustrated above and is as old as the church. What made it stronger was when the teens church became a separate entity from the children’s church in the year 2007 and this was necessary because it created a platform for the teenager to comfortably hear the word of God in a conducive environment

The Teens Church began with 23 girls and 28 boys overseen by two teachers. Since its inception, over 1,200 teenagers have passed through the teens Church and still counting

The department currently has over 300 teenagers from the ages of 13 to 19 years (Primary 6 to University) with twelve (12) teachers. The department has its own church auditorium, where teenagers have their own Sunday and weekday services.

The department is headed by Pastor Jones Boakye who is a teacher of the word of God and a child training consultant. He has directly rendered his teachings and services on the statement ‘It Is Better to Prepare than to Repair'.

His fifteen (15) years of experience as the teens pastor in Winners Chapel Ghana, has given him so much knowledge and insight about the world of Teens; a world most parents know very little about. This publication, “The Teen God Uses - PREAPARATION” is the result of his passion to share such crucial information for effective parenting and the discovery of ‘self’ by young people.