This is going to be a messy start and it tackles a subject dear to my heart - youth work and the mission of God. However, we have to start somewhere. In all that I write I want to reassure you that in the churches of this diocese there are stacks of volunteers and young people taking part in church life. There probably needs to be some deep theological reflection too. The young people that I have met in getting my head around this are passionate about God and what to do exciting and challenging things. They are full of life and want to run free with the Spirit as part of the church. They are into mission, they love to worship, they are not iconoclasts, they want to take risks and they need leaders and friends to journey with them in it.
Participation is big news for the government and the Every Child Matters Agenda. See these webages here. This is all well and good for the politically correct amongst us, but we need to see beyond the spin and actually grapple with what it means for our churches, youth groups, clubs etc.
What does it mean for young people to participate in church life?
In youth work and ministry, participation has always been there... it is nothing new. It forms the core of relational work and is the way the gospel has been spread in the lives of people for years. In fact, faith without the participation of people of all ages petrifies the living presence of Jesus into a museum relic. The challenge is how to let each generation make their own special contribution to the growing community of the church.
The church is not purely about the preservation of itself and traditions. It is alive! Without the spring time of young people there would be no new life - we need all the seasons of the year in the church. If there is no forward momemtum in the church, no sense of change, no place for risk and growth - then this is no place for young people. We need to be bold and allow young people to play their part in the kingdom of God on earth NOW.
So where do we start? LISTENING!!! Young people, whether in our groups or simply living in parishes across our diocese are a blessing with something unique to contribute. They see the world different from the way I do. I need that view! We need that view! Their passions and perspectives matter! We also need to act on them.
So we need newer ways of working with Gospel and how to participate in that with young people.
This is a great quote by Vincent Donovan:
How can we bring the gosepl to where young people are? How can they be part of it? Are we prepared to be in a new place as a church?
This is raw and unrefined. What could we do to allow young people to be the "history makers" they are called to be? Answers on a postcard or in the comment section below.
Participation is big news for the government and the Every Child Matters Agenda. See these webages here. This is all well and good for the politically correct amongst us, but we need to see beyond the spin and actually grapple with what it means for our churches, youth groups, clubs etc.
What does it mean for young people to participate in church life?
In youth work and ministry, participation has always been there... it is nothing new. It forms the core of relational work and is the way the gospel has been spread in the lives of people for years. In fact, faith without the participation of people of all ages petrifies the living presence of Jesus into a museum relic. The challenge is how to let each generation make their own special contribution to the growing community of the church.
The church is not purely about the preservation of itself and traditions. It is alive! Without the spring time of young people there would be no new life - we need all the seasons of the year in the church. If there is no forward momemtum in the church, no sense of change, no place for risk and growth - then this is no place for young people. We need to be bold and allow young people to play their part in the kingdom of God on earth NOW.
So where do we start? LISTENING!!! Young people, whether in our groups or simply living in parishes across our diocese are a blessing with something unique to contribute. They see the world different from the way I do. I need that view! We need that view! Their passions and perspectives matter! We also need to act on them.
So we need newer ways of working with Gospel and how to participate in that with young people.
This is a great quote by Vincent Donovan:
Evangelization is a process of bringing the gospel to people where they are, not where you would like them to be… When the gospel reaches a people where they are, their response to the gospel is the church in a new place…
How can we bring the gosepl to where young people are? How can they be part of it? Are we prepared to be in a new place as a church?
This is raw and unrefined. What could we do to allow young people to be the "history makers" they are called to be? Answers on a postcard or in the comment section below.
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