The Better Good: Reimagining Youth Ministry

It’s time to let the proverbial “cat out of the bag” and let you know about something that I’m gleaning from youth workers and younger leaders in our denomination and beyond. Maybe it’s not such a big secret, because the “godfather” of youth ministry, Mike Yaconelli, already spoke prophetically on this topic several years ago before his death in late 2003.

Mike put it this way: “Youth group is good….But there’s a better good...It’s called church.”

As I look at the lay of the land in our denomination and as I see the growing numbers of passionate and gifted young people and young leaders in our midst then I believe the best way to keep this younger generation connected to our churches is to find ways for them to be the church. Having them connect to youth ministry programs is nice but it tends to create consumerism (ie. an “entertain me” attitude) as opposed to a participation-ism (an attitude where the participants realize that the church won’t exist without them).

It’s interesting to see that some of the leading thinkers in youth ministry are writing books that (in my estimation) are really applicable to the future of the church. With titles like “Deep Ministry in a Shallow World” by Kara Powell and Chap Clark, “Practicing Passion: Youth and the Quest for a Passionate Church” by Kenda Creasy Dean, “Contemplative Youth Ministry” by Mark Yaconelli, and “A New Kind of Youth Ministry” by Chris Folmsbee it seems clear that this is not just a message for youth groups in North America.

As I have reflected on “better good” youth ministries I have noted the following essential characteristics. Perhaps you have others you might add to the list.

“Better Good” Youth ministries are places of:

• MENTORSHIP: Where we are mentoring and being mentored. And in the midst of this mentorship there is a place where young leaders are identified and nurtured.
• COMMUNITY: We live lives that are genuine, teachable and vulnerable. We are a messy community that embraces the joys and sorrows of life.
• SPIRITUAL FORMATION and DIRECTION: We are learning to practice spiritual disciplines and to posture our lives in ways that enable us to encounter God and listen to God.
• “GLOCAL” JUSTICE and COMPASSION: We desire to be followers of Jesus who are concerned about social justice issues in the local and global community.
• PASSIONATE CHURCH CONNECTIONS: We have connected to a church that joyfully provides places for youth and young adults to dream, lead and to share their gifts and passions.

So What? How might we move ahead in the light of these reflections?

I would like to suggest four options:

1. Shift the approach to youth ministry in your church. If you’re a small church, stop looking for the magic answer in “if only we could hire a youth pastor!” If you have people in your church, then you have a key ingredient for attracting the younger generation to your church. Instead of thinking that you have to entertain, think of ways that you can simply interact with the younger generation and allow them to find places where they can connect, be listened to, and engage in the mission of God.
   
   If you’re a bigger church and you have a youthworker in your midst, consider a five-year plan of unleashing this leader to plant a church with the younger generation at the end of her/his 5-year tenure at your church. Often the relationships that are cultivated over a 5 year period with the youth create a healthy and fertile context where the leader can then plant a church with young adults and the support staff that have worked with these students during that period of time.


2. Reflect on whether the traditional approach to youth ministry is working in your context. Are you seeing your students in Jr. and Sr. High school stay connected to their faith and church after graduation? If yes, then celebrate that healthy transition! If not, take some time to have a conversation with these students and hear what might help them better transition into young adult life post high school.


3. Acknowledge that you are in a “we ain’t broke so don’t fix us” stage. That’s marvelous! Perhaps your role is to simply stay faithful to what you are doing and then share your story with others who need to hear it.


4. Plant churches where the younger generation is a natural part of the body. Allow the younger people to lead, be involved in decision-making, serve and be a part of the core of people who do the “work of the saints.”

My hope is that we youthworkers will continue to press forward in our reimagination of youth ministry. If we are going to capture the hearts, minds and passions of our younger leaders and the younger generation in our midst then let’s seek ways that we can empower, bless and resource them as they live out their destinies as the people of God in our churches and in our nation.

Ryan Sato is the Youth Director for the Canadian Baptists of Western Canada. You can contact him at ryansato@gmail.com