Most of our youth groups are attached to a church. It may be just one of the activities the church gets up to alongside its services on Sunday. There are youth groups which are completely separate from the life of the church and there are others where there is some kind of link between the two. How much should integration be attempted or should we wait until they are 18 when they simply move up to ‘adult church’?
All-age service
One answer to this is the all-age service which some do well and for others it becomes a children’s service where the adults and older children are spectators. In a typical church with people of most ages represented, is it possible for there to be some degree of shared activity? Starting with services, I think it is possible to bring young people into what is done there. If they stay in the morning services or turn up in the evening their presence needs to be acknowledged. That does not mean the whole service is geared to their language and culture, but, if they are there, what can’t they do. They can welcome at the door, they can read a lesson, they can pray, they can play in the worship band and, at the end, they can help count the money and make the coffee. It may even appropriate for a 16-year-old to preach the first five minutes of a sermon (initially) and have his talk critiqued by a sensitive mentor.
I think we can often get this wrong by thinking that young people will only turn up if it’s a youth service with the band playing at double volume. If it is possible to have a range of ages leading the service and to have them participate proportionately with other age groups in the congregation, that can only be healthy. If the preacher, in using his illustrations, could use stories which post-date WWII that would also be helpful.
Planning to use young people
Outside of services a church needs to plan how young people can be used. If there is a meal for seniors, could some of them be waiters? If there is a poster or publicity to be designed, is there a ‘computer whizz’ who would make a much better job of it than most adults. Some can be used to be assistant leaders in young Sunday Schools or crèches. I love the idea of visiting some shut-ins with an adult and a young person.
Perhaps there’s a mission project in which they could participate. I knew one girl who loved writing letters and sending small parcels to a missionary in a remote part of Africa. I guess I have a dream where the church just works like this. People of all ages have love and respect for each other and where older people don’t complain about noisy drums and where young people are happy to sing ‘And can it be’. Maybe the service needs to be led differently and the language used slightly more contemporary. But, if we are to pass on ‘to the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord’ (Psalm 78.4), we have to be in the same room at some time.
Ask yourself — what can’t they do and get them doing all the rest.
Dave Fenton is the Training Director of Root 66, which runs training courses for youth ministries across the UK.
