It’s formal time for Year 12ers. The year is almost over. All that’s needed are those pesky marks to arrive, and then things have really finished… and the new era has really begun.

As this milestone comes around yet again in the calendar, it’s worth pondering about the best way to minister to Year 12s in the youth ministry program at our churches as we plan for next year.

The final year of high school is a major event for teachers, parents, and of course, the students. The pressure that is placed upon the shoulders of the HSC students seems almost unrelenting, and the expectations are often suffocating.

This is why it is a difficult choice for youth ministers as they seek to work out what are reasonable demands to place on these most-senior of the high schoolers.

One school of thinking seeks to free up the students by reducing the time demands in Year 12. As they reach the ‘pointy end’ of the year, the students are encouraged to reduce their time commitment to church so that they might be able to further dedicate themselves to their study.

This strategy rightly identifies the importance and significance of the HSC. It also enables students to show respect for their parents by giving appropriate energy and focus to their studies. It also can help them as they start to think more independently and in a more adult fashion.

However, I think a better strategy is to turn the heat up on the commitment levels, not turn it down.

The HSC exams are a big deal. But there are many other ‘big deals’ that will come the way of these emerging adults. If we teach them that it is right to pull back from church when things get busy, then we are at risk of sending the wrong message about the priority and pleasure of meeting with other Christians.

It is also a key time for evangelism. As the Year 12ers start to count down the days before they leave their school community behind, they should be realising the pressing need to make sure that their friends know Jesus. HSC camps are an ideal opportunity for them to make a last-ditch attempt to get their friends to meet with Christians to hear the saving word of God.

As a parent of teenagers, it’s my prayer that my children recognise the importance of doing their best in their HSC. But more than that, I want to make sure my kids see their studies in an eternal perspective.

If anything, the final year of school is the best year to turn up the heat, not quench the flames. We need to show our youth about how to deal with big challenges in a Christian way, and to help them make the most of every opportunity to witness to Christ in their everyday lives… even in Year 12.

Jodie McNeill is the Executive Director of Youthworks Outdoors