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The so-called special "wretchedness" and "powers" of today's youth have been the subject of much of the cultural conversation recently. The string of school shootings over the past few years and other alarming trends (like anorexia and self-mutilation) have aroused national soul-searching and highlight the extremes, positive and negative, of the generation known as the Millennials.

Despite the troubling signals, there is still plenty of good news. "The unsung story of today's teenagers may be how religious they are," wrote John Leland in Newsweek (May 8, 2000). Indeed, in an earlier Newsweek poll, 78 percent of teenagers said religion is important, and many gladly identified themselves as "spiritual," though few wanted to be labeled "religious." Christian pollster George Barna notes that two out of three teens strongly desire a personal relationship with God. The downside, according to Barna, is that fewer than half are excited about church, which has left many church leaders wondering how to reach this complicated and disparate cohort.

Trends and demographics are open to interpretation. But two characteristics are emerging as defining features of many Millennials: They are activists, and they long for God. One place where they and the church are coming together in a happy collaboration is the mission trip. This experience is becoming so prevalent in youth ministry that many high school pastors see it almost as a rite of passage.

"A youth mission trip offers a great opportunity for discipling," says Seth Barnes, executive director of Adventures in Missions (www.adventures.org), a Gainesville, Georgia-based ministry that sponsors and coordinates trips for youth groups around the country. Barnes says proper screening and training are essential because some teens go simply for the adventure or to get away from home. But assuming those checks are in place, he says the trip itself is an excellent tool for training a young person in the hard work of following Christ.

"It requires discipline, reaching out to others, and personal holiness," he says, all of which appeal to the activist and spiritual inclinations of the Millennials. The exponential rise in the number of trips reflects their interest in such an enterprise. Short-term mission trips numbered around 25,000 people in 1979. By 1989 that number had jumped to 120,000, and by 1995 to 200,000.

Many youth pastors believe mission trips are one way to call youth to a higher level of accountability and, says Barnes, "They are answering that call."

I observed the "phenomenon" up close last summer when my husband Bob and I (and three other younger leaders) led a group of 12 teens to the jungles of Ecuador. One mission trip does not denote a trend for an entire generation. But it offers a window into the kind of gritty spirituality that animates many of today's teens.

Stephanie wanted to know she had "suffered to help someone." Rachel prayed that the trip would "restore humility" in her. Susanna didn't want to go at first but felt the Lord wanted her to do it. Nate said that God had recently shown him "the true horrors of what an eternal hell would be like" and so activated his otherwise passive faith.

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February 5 2001, Vol. 45, No. 2