Three Ways Your Student Ministry Can Bully-Proof Your Community
I cannot get the image of Phoebe Prince out of my mind. The first time her photo was flashed on my TV screen my heart was broken for her, her family and all the other “Phoebes”
of this world. The tragic end of a life so short, so needlessly snatched at the tender age of 15 reminds us that life is not only uncertain; it is often cruel.
SafeYouth.org (http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/faq/bullying.asp ) reports that an estimated 5.7 million students (almost 30%) in the United States are involved in bullying as a bully, a target or both. The gender splits are about even, with a comparable number of boys and girls involved—though bullying takes a much different form based on gender. Male students are more likely to be physically aggressive, while female bullying is often more indirect and subtle.
There are a multitude of questions swirling around the investigation of Phoebe’s tortured life about what led to her hanging herself to end the pain. Questions like:
- Why didn’t school officials do something?
- Why didn’t another student come to her rescue?
- What would possess her tormentors to be so cruel?
But beyond these questions, I guess what I have been wondering is more within the context of a Christian perspective.
- Where was the church?
- Where were the Christian students in the school?
- What would have happened if a group of believers had reached out to her?
- What can we do in Student Ministry to strike a blow against bullying?
- Can our Student Ministries bully-proof our communities?
I do not mean these questions as an indictment against the Christians who were fellow students or the churches in the area. I ask them in relationship to all of us who name the Name of Jesus. I speak to myself and every believer who should stand against evil and injustice. I think as the body of Christ, it is time for us to draw a line in the sand; to be proactive in confronting those evils that drain the life from the students in our community.
I want to suggest three ways to bully-proof your community. No…I do not think these will rid the world of evil, but we must have a good offense, as well as a good defense.
- Teach your students the principle of Love. Jesus was extremely clear about loving others to the point of sacrifice (John 13:34, John 15:13, 1 Peter 4:8, 1 John 4:7).
- Teach your students the principle of Justice. Believers should be appalled at injustice and be willing to stand up and speak up on behalf of those being wronged (Deuteronomy 27:19, Psalm 58:1-2, Proverbs 29:27, James 5:4).
- Teach your students the principle of Honor. As believers we are to show honor to people that other would not. We are to show respect because we are all sinners saved by God’s grace. We honor others as a demonstration of our faith and value system (Romans 12:10, Romans 13:7, James 2: 2-4 & 9, 1 Peter 2:17).
Share with me and others what you are doing to “bully-proof your community.” I intend to address this again by looking closer at the epidemic of “bullying.”
