There is a joke: what is the difference between a petri dish and your teen-ager's bedroom? The answer: what comes out of a petri dish can be called a 'culture'.
Certainly the noises, smells and sights of a teenager's lair rarely inspire the label of 'culture' in the Beethoven or Van Gogh sense. Do we really have to be into youth culture to evangelise and disciple effectively?
Early mistakes
A mistake many leaders make early on is thinking they must imitate youth culture to be effective witnesses. They rush out and buy the latest jeans, trainers, hoodies (youth-speak for a hooded sweatshirt - I had to ask too!) and music. Later that week those leaders turn up dressed to thrill, only to find that a week is a long time in fashion and they look like a snowman on the beach - out of place. Rule number one: don't try to infiltrate, be yourself.
