Curious about Lady Gaga’s latest fashion statement? Want to learn the lyrics for Justin Bieber’s hit song? You may not even recognize these cultural icons, let alone care what they’re wearing or singing. But the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding knows that your kids care. And for 20 years, the organization Walt Mueller founded has made the case that because kids care, their parents should too.

When Walt Mueller first began talking to parents about youth culture in the 1980s, he remembers encountering a lot of resistance. The basic argument sounded something like: “Aren’t we just polluting our own minds by engaging with the ‘filth’ our kids like?” The prevailing mentality within the church equated examining culture with embracing culture, explains Mueller. But, as the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding (CPYU) celebrates its 20th anniversary, its founder says he seldom finds the same opposition to his work today. “Rarely do I encounter that pushback now,” Mueller says. “Maybe it’s that some people just don’t care. But, I do think that more people see the need to understand youth culture in order to help teenagers navigate it.”

20 Years of Change

Perhaps that’s because the cultural gap between parents and teens feels more like an ocean than a pond. Is it really possible to bridge the gap? That question keeps the work of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding in ever-growing demand. Mueller says it’s not our imagination—the cultural-generational gap is widening. He articulates four themes that summarize the culture after 20 years of rapid change:

1. Far more pain and brokenness.
   More and more, institutions are dropping the ball and failing, so many kids are left to find their own way.
2. Younger and younger.
   Kids are seeing and hearing things earlier, which gives media and culture greater power to shape their worldviews.
3. Any kid, anywhere, any time.
   Because the culture is so incredibly pervasive, no child is immune, even those we think are protected in a covenant environment.
4. Sooner or later.
   Every kid will be faced with decisions and possibilities regarding their priorities and belief systems at some point in their teen years.

Cross-Cultural Ministry

Whether you’ve been out of high school for one year or 20, you’ll find it different now, says Mueller of the ever-increasing speed of change in our culture. Therefore, he says, parents, youth workers, the Church—anyone with an interest in connecting with youth—must approach their work as a cross-cultural venture. The CPYU website (www.cpyu.org) is a tutorial for those interested in learning the language of youth culture, and speaking into it with the redemptive message of the gospel in ways that teens can hear. With resources such as a weekly e-update on youth culture and articles on everything from tattoos and bullying to eating disorders and music videos, CPYU strives to equip parents and teens to engage youth culture with a distinctively Christian worldview.

One CPYU initiative translates a distinctively Christian worldview into specific guidance for teens navigating the transition from high school to college. “We observed a growing crisis of students coming out of the Church who were unprepared for the realities of campus life,” explains Mueller. The result was an alarming number of students who had grown up in the Church abandoning it during their college years. In response to this trend, CPYU developed the College Transition Seminar, which challenges students to develop healthy resolutions about college before they arrive on campus. Derek Melleby, CPYU’s college initiative director, applies careful research to real life, says Mueller, and “masterfully communicates a positive and realistic message that encourages students to embrace college for what God intends it to be.”

Two Decades Ahead

As Mueller reflects on 20 years of ministry for CPYU, he anticipates the next 20 years will bring a continued decline of culture. “Anyone who might now question the whole notion that America is a post-Christian culture won’t hesitate to do so five to 10 years from now,” he suggests. “I don’t know where God is going to take us in the next 20 years, but I am confident that it will be for our good.” Mueller believes that God will use an antagonistic culture to challenge and purify the Church. “The next 20 years will bring great opportunities for the Church,” he says. “If we are willing to engage and listen.”

Today’s teens will be parents 20 years from now, and will undoubtedly be as baffled by their kids’ cultural icons as today’s parents. Hopefully, they will find CPYU still equipping the Church for its cross-cultural venture, and dispensing the same advice that has made it successful for the last 20 years: engage and listen.