If you work in urban ministry, you know what a stronghold gangs can have on your teens. And you know that an article written by a white chick ain't gonna help you much. But over the years working in the projects and having teens killed in drive-bys and gang style executions, I can give you a piece of advice. Don't give up. Instead, check out gangwar.com.

No matter what city you are in, this website can link you to help in your hood with your gangs. The creator of the site, started as "grim reaper" in Lil' Rock Arkansas, working as a coroner. Steve got tired of zipping up young teens in body bags, so he started talking to the teens about why they were shooting each other up. While Steve's gangwar.com ministry isn't necessarily Christian, it is full of helps for those who deal with hard-core gang-bangers.

Think Little

Another thing to remember is that gangs start young. Runners for gangs are Shorties usually about 7 years old. Meaning, that if your program or church wants to beat the gang scene, you must concentrate on programming for the five year olds. Yes, Larry the Cucumber and other Veggie Tales might be your best defense as of now to keep these kids interested in hanging with God, the gangs on the streets. An easy thing to do, is to have your teens "big brother" some of the younger kids in your church or outreach program. Maybe you have a "Shorties Night" once a year, where the little kids are invited to see how much fun it can be to join a youth group instead of a gang. While TastyFaith does not have anything at this point for ages that young, the Shortie Pages could help with kids as young as 8.

Think Unity

Your best defense against gangs is building a sense of community in your youth group or outreach group. Oh yeah, tons of prayer doesn't hurt, either. Be sure to check out the Weebee Freebies, part III of the Slam Series. These lessons are great for dealing with gangs and other pressures of the street.

Get them to think!

But the most important thing is focus on the kids who aren't in gangs yet, and keep them from being lured into the deadly trap. Kids who are "just associated" with gangs are fooling themselves-bullets can kill them, too. Remind these teens that they can't serve both the streets and JC. They have to make a choice.

As for the hard-core gangbangers? Prayer,Prayer,Prayer. Right or wrong, to some of these gang members, being in a gang is as important to them as your faith is to you. It's something that's a major part of their identity. Focus on getting them to know Christ, and let the power of the Holy Spirit clean up their act one day at a time. This might mean that a serious gang-banger would have to re-locate to another state just to survive. Or, you have a teen reading his Bible in the morning, but doing the gang thing at night. Focus on the steps that teen is making in the right direction, no matter how small those steps may seem. Again, check out gangwar.com and keep this verse in the heart of your prayer:

Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short, That it cannot save, Neither is His ear so dull, That it cannot hear. Isaiah 59:1

Want a great series of Bible lessons for teens who deal with gangs and the pressures of the street? Click Here