A recent report from the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada finds that young people are leaving the Christian Church like never before. It's findings like these that inspired Matt Wilkinson to write Youth Ministry: Now & Not Yet, a book that rethinks the way Christians minister to young people.The news is not all bad however, as Wilkinson, director of youth ministries for the Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec, points to several good things that keep young people involved.
"The reason that they're staying in the church is that they've got someone who's walked with them…their parents have a vibrant faith, they've experienced God in a significant way, they have a community they feel safe [in] and part of," he says.
Youth culture is changing—the teenage brain is wired differently than that of young people in years past. As such, a new approach is needed, says Wilkinson. Young people feel as though they have a voice, and that the world will listen to their voice. Regardless of whether or not it's actually happening, it's how they feel.
"Our ministry to youth is one that becomes youth led, adult mentored, and family empowered… They need to be given opportunities to lead, but they can't do that on their own."
The traditional model of youth ministry has failed to convince young people to stay active in the Church, he adds. Now & Not Yet argues that youth ministry is no longer solely the role of the local youth pastor—it involves all adults in the church community. Young people need mentors to come alongside them and walk with them every step of the way.
"We need every person in the church—whether they like youth or not," he says.
Since the early 1980s, church attendance among young people has fallen from about 25 per cent to slightly more than 12 per cent. Things need to change if the Church is to have any hope for a sustainable future, Wilkinson says.
"If we continue to see a decline, but continue to do youth ministry the same way…that's the definition of insanity. Keep doing the same thing and get a worse and worse result? We've got to realize that things are changing."
Despite all this, Wilkinson says his book does not take a stand against the church establishments like youth group, or the work that pastors have been doing.
"I actually believe that there's hope, and that the best days of reaching young people are ahead of us." It's the program-driven nature of church that needs to change, he says, adding that Christian parents need to own up to their responsibility of shaping the spiritual lives of their own children, a practice many parents tend to dump on their children's youth pastors.
"The Church is there to support the parents," Wilkinson says. For students without Christian parents, extra support is needed from the whole congregation to make students feel welcome in Christian community.
"They need to belong before they'll believe," he says.
So far, Now and Not Yet has been met with by largely positive reception, and is being described as a "game-changer" by some. Wilkinson says that if the broader church community embraces the book, the impact could be tremendous. In essence, Now & Not Yet is really a book for people outside of formal youth ministry positions—parents and senior church members are the ones who need to read the book, Wilkinson suggests.
"If senior church leaders are reading this…then the way that we engage this next generation will radically change across our whole country."
Youth Ministry: Now & Not Yet is available through NowAndNotYet.ca, YourChurchZone.com and at Amazon.ca.
"The reason that they're staying in the church is that they've got someone who's walked with them…their parents have a vibrant faith, they've experienced God in a significant way, they have a community they feel safe [in] and part of," he says.
Youth culture is changing—the teenage brain is wired differently than that of young people in years past. As such, a new approach is needed, says Wilkinson. Young people feel as though they have a voice, and that the world will listen to their voice. Regardless of whether or not it's actually happening, it's how they feel.
"Our ministry to youth is one that becomes youth led, adult mentored, and family empowered… They need to be given opportunities to lead, but they can't do that on their own."
The traditional model of youth ministry has failed to convince young people to stay active in the Church, he adds. Now & Not Yet argues that youth ministry is no longer solely the role of the local youth pastor—it involves all adults in the church community. Young people need mentors to come alongside them and walk with them every step of the way.
"We need every person in the church—whether they like youth or not," he says.
Since the early 1980s, church attendance among young people has fallen from about 25 per cent to slightly more than 12 per cent. Things need to change if the Church is to have any hope for a sustainable future, Wilkinson says.
"If we continue to see a decline, but continue to do youth ministry the same way…that's the definition of insanity. Keep doing the same thing and get a worse and worse result? We've got to realize that things are changing."
Despite all this, Wilkinson says his book does not take a stand against the church establishments like youth group, or the work that pastors have been doing.
"I actually believe that there's hope, and that the best days of reaching young people are ahead of us." It's the program-driven nature of church that needs to change, he says, adding that Christian parents need to own up to their responsibility of shaping the spiritual lives of their own children, a practice many parents tend to dump on their children's youth pastors.
"The Church is there to support the parents," Wilkinson says. For students without Christian parents, extra support is needed from the whole congregation to make students feel welcome in Christian community.
"They need to belong before they'll believe," he says.
So far, Now and Not Yet has been met with by largely positive reception, and is being described as a "game-changer" by some. Wilkinson says that if the broader church community embraces the book, the impact could be tremendous. In essence, Now & Not Yet is really a book for people outside of formal youth ministry positions—parents and senior church members are the ones who need to read the book, Wilkinson suggests.
"If senior church leaders are reading this…then the way that we engage this next generation will radically change across our whole country."
Youth Ministry: Now & Not Yet is available through NowAndNotYet.ca, YourChurchZone.com and at Amazon.ca.
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