Is "Youth Group" or "Youth Service" biblical?

[McChristian]

I don't think it is. Is their biblical verses supporting this?

[Psalm 51:17]

No, I don't see scripture supporting it either.

Acts 2:46  And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
Act 2:47  Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Eph 2:19  Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Eph 2:21  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
Eph 2:22  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Eph 4:4  There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
Eph 4:5  One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6  One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Also, while I haven't heard any reports of so, nonetheless having these youth groups potentially opens the doorways to pedifiles(these youth group leaders and ministers, that is).

1Th 5:22  Abstain from all appearance of evil.
1Th 5:23  And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

One good example of "abstain from all appearance of evil" is for married men to not be alone with another woman(whether it be on a public street corner for a few minutes or inside an office for 15 minutes). Same with adults who lead youth groups - they too have an appearance of evil being that it just looks weird and awkward for a grown up adult being with a bunch of kids for long stretches. A couple of years ago at my church, there was this old guy who lead one of the kids ministries - nice guy, don't think he harmed anyone, but nonetheless it just made him look weird in the site of many.

[McChristian]

If you heard the latest audio from audio from Scott, you will hear of Youth-Groups performing the Harlem Dance thing. Just another sign of the secular side of Youth Guide.

[Christian40]

1 Timothy 4:12    Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

2 Timothy 2:22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Youths are encouraged in the Bible to be adults!

[Kilika]

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." 1 Corinthians 13:11 (KJB)

[tennis shoe]

You raise a good point.

I don’t see any examples of intentional segregation within the early churches. That includes the now popular children, youth, and women’s groups. Vacation bible school, AWANA, women’s aglow, sunday school – not so sure that these protocols are biblical.

What I do see is the “leadership” within these programs occasionally attempting to undermine authority within a family.

[Kilika]

That includes the now popular children, youth, and women’s groups. Vacation bible school, AWANA, women’s aglow, sunday school – not so sure that these protocols are biblical.

They are not biblical. Not even close. They are all doctrines of man.

More than once, scripture talks about "when ye come together...", but nothing, not a word about any organized meetings or groups. The only mention is the sabbath and "first day of the week". That's it. And even then, I contend that even the sabbath isn't suppose to be recognized with respect to Jusaic Law. We are under a new sabbath so to speak, a new covenant.

"And upon the first [day] of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight." Act 20:7 (KJB)

"Upon the first [day] of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as [God] hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." 1 Corinthians 16:2 (KJB)

"If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?: John 7:23 (KJB)

"And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted [thither]." Act 16:13 (KJB)

Throughout the New Testament, we see that believers didn't meet, organize, or any such thing. They simply gathered as the spirit moved them. ("The wind bloweth...") The only schedule was based around the Jewish law. Seeing that most were Jews, it makes sense that they initially were following "custom to whom custom", but they didn't really seem to even follow set dates such as the sabbath, though they would recognize that others were still Jews and doing Jew things, such as meeting and praying in the temple, etc. This is, I believe, what we see in what Jesus says through Paul...

19  For though I be free from all [men], yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
20  And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
21  To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
22  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all [men], that I might by all means save some.
23  And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with [you].
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (KJB)

God works in us as God sees fit, and presents us as He sees fit to meet whatever situation, be it involving bond or free, Jew or Gentile. This is how Jesus was called into question for sitting at meat with "publicans and sinners", and the disciples not washing their hands, and healing the sick on a sabbath day.

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world." James 1:27 (KJB)

"But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God." 1 Corinthians 11:16 (KJB)