Monthly youth leaders column

There is a local area youth service once every two months. Between 60 and 80 attend. It is hosted by young people.

They do all the links, they play the music and sometimes it is a young person speaking. It lasts about an hour and a half and often finishes with food. It sounds ideal - young people organising the event that they want. They are being encouraged in areas of leadership, music and learning together. They see friends from other schools or churches and are built up together as Christians. What a great set up!

So why do I find myself very uneasy about the whole thing? Am I against young people meeting together? NO! Am I against young people having control or practising leadership skills? NO! Am I against fellowship with other churches? No! My biggest desire is to see young people strengthened in their faith and grow up to become a strong generation of Christian leaders. What's the problem and what should guide our thinking about special youth services?

Bible at the core

The first thing that makes me uneasy is that the Bible is not the heart of the event. It has been elbowed to the periphery, or worse, completely eliminated. One medieval torture was being dissected alive! A good torturer would hold your heart up for you to see as you breathed your last. We too become victims as soon as the Bible is removed. It's tempting to replace the Bible with a different authority such as experience or tradition. The Bible has not been tried and found wanting, but found trying and not wanted.

Take the pulse of your youth service. Is the Bible the heartbeat of what is going on? That doesn't mean everything becomes a dry, intellectual study. The Bible is God's living and active word. It is possible to get excited about it and to learn from it in a fun and interactive way.

Identifiable aims

Try asking a few people what they think the youth service is there for. The warning bells should ring when everyone gives you get a different answer. If the Bible has been left out the aims will be difficult to pin down. There is nothing to aim for and so nothing is hit. Sit down with other interested parties, including as many young people as possible, and sort out concise and achievable aims for the service.

Is the Bible setting the agenda? Is the service aimed at churched or unchurched young people? Is the social element going to be major or minor? Are these aims solid enough to work with or are they wishy-washy?

Wants or needs?

If you ask a youth group what they want to do the reply will always be along the 'pizza and video' lines. Young people want company, social events, and not to have to think. That's easy to organise and we must surely put down time into the programme. But the problem is that this is what young people want, not what they need. What is needed is an opportunity to meet Jesus through the Bible.
Plan the youth service with this in mind. Sift out the ideas that deal with wants not needs. Happily often both wants and needs can be met, and there are times for 'pizza and video' type of activities. But the planning process must revolve around what people need.

Fitting in with church?

Does the youth service support the local church youth work? There are great benefits in services that bring smaller groups together. Costs and resources can be pooled and shared. Youth leaders who work in isolated situations can be supported and encouraged. Young people can meet with lots of Christians their own age. Are these things happening in the youth service? What can be done to encourage good Bible study skills in each church group there? What can be done at the service to get young people mixing? How can small groups and their leaders be equipped to survive and grow?

Has it all worked?

Don't measure success with the numbers argument. This argument suggests that if the event attracts lots of people and they keep returning it must be a success. But it is a flawed argument. High numbers just show that the event is attractive and we can all make things look attractive. For example one youth minister called his school lunchtime club 'Britney Spears Uncovered'. He was immediately oversubscribed!

It is better to ask what the outcome is for individuals. Was the talk clear and faithful to the Bible? Did people leave understanding more about Jesus? Have non-Christians been challenged? On the way out was the chatting about the things that are going to change in their lives? Will they remember something that will help them live as a Christian on Monday morning?

Final disclaimer

No apologies for this month's column being more of a rant than usual. These things are important. Either we are sincere about the spiritual health of our young people, or we are wasting our time. Let's take our job seriously.

The area youth service?

Bible at the core

Identifiable aims

Wants or needs?

Fitting in with church?

Has it all worked?

Final disclaimer

Roger Fawcett

Main Articles

Other articles