While I don't put myself forward as any type of expert in youth and young adult ministry, I have been involved in those types of ministries for a number of years. Frequently, despite the ministry model in which I have worked, participated or watched leaders state that the youth aren't the future of the church but they are, in fact, the present church. While I agree with this sentiment in its pure form it has bothered me over the years, but I just couldn't put my finger on why a statement that I wholeheartedly agree with bothered me. While I was at the Montreat youth conferences again this summer working with as the Work Crew Coordinator (I got to work with college aged young adults in helping do many of the small unseen tasks that make the conference a success as well as lead them in a small group discussion every morning) I again heard that phrase from the leaders of the conference. And then it hit me why that phrase bothers me. From my perspective (and that of the young adults I was working with this summer), those words ring hollow and the youth and young adults from my denomination know it.
The PC(USA) talks a good game about their youth ministry, and to their credit they make great efforts to demonstrate that the youth are an important part of the church right now. We have the Montreat youth conferences for high school aged youth, conferences for middle school aged youth, an impressive college conference that brings in big named speakers, a young adult volunteer program that sends young adults to year long mission experiences and we even include young adults in our General Assembly as advisory delegates, we even ordain some youth and young adults as elders in local congregations (there are many more ways, but I think you get the point). And as I look over that last sentence that I just typed, at first glance it may seem like that is enough. However, we fail in two major ways. First, we tend to have the attitude that after they graduate high school we set them out in the world to find their way and wait for them to return to the denomination (if they don't lose total faith) when they are grown and have children. Secondly, we don't really back up all these programs with any force in how we include youth in our daily lives as congregations. (I know that some congregations are doing phenomenal work but I will take the liberty of making a sweeping generalization based on my wide geographic base of church attendance over the years due to the military and discussion with youth from areas I haven't lived in yet).
We need congregations near college campuses to reach out and embrace every single college student that grew up in the PC(USA). This isn't just supporting campus ministries though they need a great deal of financial support and volunteer leaders and mentors. We need congregations to live into that connectional system we like to brag about and talk with each other as we send youth to new congregations. We also need to do this with all members, but I am focusing on youth and young adults. In fact, the Book of Order outlines how the session should contact the receiving session to help members that move connect with a local worshiping congregation. In all my moves I don't recall that ever happening or even having one session provide a list of congregations in the area. Congregations could work with the campus minister and come in and introduce themselves to the students and offer a Sunday School class or a small group for them outside of their school. They could also volunteer to provide congregation members to serve as mentors or "adoptive parents." I still am in contact with families from congregations that reached out to me as a young adult and made sure I had a church home in every way. In fact, two of those families pitched in together to purchase my robe for my ordination service and beyond. The possibilities are endless and I am confident that if we put the issue before our congregations the need would be filled in a rapid and enthusiastic manner.
The second issue revolves around how we bring youth and young adults into "leadership" positions and then don't treat them in the same manner. This struck me when I looked at the disparity between the number of youth elders at Montreat
Pardon me while I step down from my soapbox.
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