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This article is from Church Volunteer Central. As we come to the fall and think ministry, here's a great encouragement as to why serving others is such a good idea! Be sure to find a place to get plugged in this fall!
Happy Teenagers
Brian Proffit
We talk a lot about the importance of being true disciples fulfilling our calling to spend time in service to others. But did you know studies indicate that living externally focused lives actually increases our happiness? Many studies back this up, but I'll just mention a couple that relate to two groups of people that can be especially susceptible to times of unhappiness or despair: seniors and teens.
A study published by Aging and Mental Health in 2003 showed that seniors who volunteered were significantly more likely than those who didn't to report having high energy, concentration, and engagement. Altruism and Later Life reports that a significant increase in happiness was attributable to volunteering. As reported in Gross National Happiness, "The researchers found that volunteering for just six months significantly increased the seniors' morale, self-esteem, and sense of social integration. In general, the researchers found that volunteering for nonprofit organizations was even better for senior citizens' happiness than helping out their families or their neighbors." Sounds like important news for churches to me!
As a parent, I've had intimate experience with "surly teenager" syndrome. The good news is this also gives us a way to improve their attitudes about themselves and their lives. A study published in The Science of Altruism and Health followed 1,000 teenagers over a five year period, tracking their attitudes and behaviors. Those who spent the most time in various community service efforts were least likely to be involved in violence and pregnancy. They also were least likely to express negative feelings(!) or describe themselves as feeling stressed. As described in Gross National Happiness , "Provocatively, the investigators found that charity and faith tended to interact for extra benefit. Religious, giving teens had higher self-esteem, confidence, and optimism than nonreligious, giving teens."
We have always emphasized that you should not be recruiting volunteers for what they can do for you. The goal is to help every believer find his or her true fulfillment and joy in life by spending their time in the areas of loving ministry that God created them for. But research indicates there are some significant extra benefits. We've all heard someone describe their experience by saying, "I get much more out of it than I give." Science backs them up.
Perhaps you don't have any people in your church whose lives could use an injection of happiness, optimism, and energy. If so, please drop the rest of us an e-mail...we'd like to come visit your church! For the rest of us, we now have yet another reason to continue our call for all believers to live externally focused lives.
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