Nowra Anglican College's new chaplain says youth workers are having to adopt new tactics with today's students asking anything but the same old questions.
Graham Thomas has traded parish youth work in Western Australia for his new position at the growing Anglican school on the south coast.
Mr Thomas says when it comes to religion today's school aged children are less concerned with the facts than their parents might have been, and more focussed on practicality.
"If they're going to believe in something, they want to know that it works. They want good reasons to believe, but they want to know that Jesus can be a real part of their lives," he says.
"I begin by teaching them that Jesus is real; that we can actually have a relationship with Him."
According to Mr Thomas students are arriving in their first year of high school with limited knowledge of the specifics but quite developed pluralistic views of religion.
His tactic is to turn them back on their own search for a workable solution to life's problems.
"Jesus is just one of many gods. I want them to understand that those other gods might make them feel different but they won’t ultimately make a difference."
Mr Thomas says his ministry is a welcome return to his roots.
"I’m really excited aobut it. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do - I was a PE and health teacher before MTC. So it’s natural for me to work in this environment," he says.
But the high school environment is changing along with the students, with an increasing number of parents opting for a private school education in their search for stronger guidelines for their children.
"I think parents really want an education that challenges and teaches values," Mr Thomas says.
"Our school very openly says we’ll teach the Bible, so parents who send their kids here are pleased with that."
More than two thirds of the students who attend Nowra Anglican College come from non-Christian backgrounds.
