The term "youth ministries" is a broad, all encompassing term which frequently conjures up certain mental images---a group of young people sharing Bible study together, a Fall retreat, a progressive dinner, a weekend retreat, a summer social action project. Although these activities are certainly worthwhile, they do not, by themselves, ensure a successful youth ministries program in the local congregation. Whether we want to admit it or not, a youth ministry that focuses itself solely on the "traditional" youth fellowship group runs the risk of becoming a partial, incomplete ministry. Ideally, youth ministries does not isolate young people from the mainstream of a congregation's life, or create weekly programs exclusively to entertain young people; rather, its goal should be to move young people from the weekly youth fellowship programs and activities into the wider arena of congregational life.
It is important for young people to become an accepted, involved part of the community of faith--- especially since many of them are baptized members of the church, who possess all the privileges and responsibilities of church membership. The involvement of young people in the congregation needs to go beyond youth group and Christian education classes school into at least four vital areas: leadership, worship, education, and mission. It is possible to find significant involvement in all these areas, using imagination and creativity and developing all available opportunities.
Leadership
In the area of leadership, young people have the opportunity to serve in many areas of the church's life. The canons of the Episcopal Church state that all baptized persons sixteen years of age and older are to be considered adult members.8 Some congregations have taken the opportunity to elect youth members to vestries, search committees, or to diocesan conventions, but for the most part these congregations are the exception to the rule. In order to enable the election of young people to these offices, it may be necessary to cultivate a network of advocates---people who will speak on behalf of young people, bringing their names to the attention of the nominating committee and the congregation.
Other leadership possibilities for young people in the church lie within the committee structures of the congregation and diocese. The most obvious place for leadership responsibility is on the youth ministries committee or education committee, but all committees can benefit by seeing things from the point of view of one or more young people. Examples of possible committee involvements could be pastoral nominating, evangelism, anti-racism, and mission/outreach committees. It is important to include young people in these areas because they have the talent and interest to serve, not just because they are young.
Worship
It is important for young people to develop regular attendance at worship services and share regularly In the leadership of worship---not just during the annual Youth Sunday. Young people want opportunities to share themselves through their personal gifts and energies and can make their presence visible in the congregation's worship through some of the following roles: lay reader, musician (vocalist, choir mem ber, pianist, organist, instrumentalist, bell choir member), sacred dancer, actor, acolyte, usher, or greeter. Through the advocacy of the congregation's youth committee, as an extension of the youth group, or through volunteer commitment cards that are part of many congregations' stewardship pledge campaigns, young people can gain visibility in worship.
A congregation's youth committee can play a major role. It is especially helpful if the youth committee can supply names of young people for recruitment. A number of youth groups have choirs and worship-oriented groups (mime troupes, usher teams, acolytes, lay readers) that are extensions of their group's life. These groups can be scheduled into worship on a regular basis, while others take leadership roles more periodically.
An increasing number of congregations have begun to include the commitment of personal time and talents as part of their stewardship campaign. Young people need to be addressed directly by the stewardship campaign leadership and strongly encouraged to commit time and skills to the congregation, with worship being one of the key areas. Lay leaders responsible for coordinating volunteers (along with members of the staff) can ensure that the names of these young people are entered into the congregation's volunteer lists-and used. To provide continuity, the youth committee may want to monitor this list actively.
Education
Again, there is a need to go beyond the regular view of young people as students, in programs and classes designed just for them, and look for other areas of involvement in the church's educational ministry. Two main possibilities exist: involvement as a participant and involvement as a leader.
As a participant in the congregation's ministry of education, young people can benefit by having access to classes, seminars, study groups, and retreats that are not created solely for them. Adult-youth forums, intergenerational studies, and workshops are ways for young people to be involved in the congregation's educational ministry. These opportunities open the door for cross-generational communication and understanding and also serve to uncover leadership potential and other gifts that exist among young people.
As leaders in education, young people can be tapped to take responsibility for the education of younger children in the Christian education program, vacation Bible school, children's choir, and summer camp, among other areas. Most young people have a sincere concern for children and want to be able to share what they've learned about the gospel with them. Young people make very capable teachers, song leaders and music directors, camp counselors and program staff, recreation leaders, and friends for children. Within this area of ministry lies a great opportunity for them to become positive Christian role models for the children of the church.
Mission
There are a wide variety of opportunities for young people to minister in Christ's name to their community, the nation, and the world. Young people should have access to opportunities where they can learn about mission and also do mission. It is crucial for them to have an understanding of how the church serves. Access to missionaries and people involved in helping ministries, field trips to mission projects and community agencies, service projects, and mission trips are all ways to create an exposure to the church's outreach and develop a response to concerns that need to be addressed.
A mission focus can be planned as a regular part of a youth group's life. Having guest speakers, such as a missionary on furlough or the director of a local community agency, might become the starting point for a group to develop an awareness of ministries beyond the walls of the local congregation. On-site visits to a particular mission area, or a developing service project to assist a specific ministry, are good ways to get young people involved in mission. Some youth groups channel a percentage of funds from their money-raising efforts into a specific mission project, which enables their group to assist an effort that is too far away to visit regularly. "Adopting" a mission cause can give a group a sense of being able to help, even if the group cannot always be there in person.
A social action project is an excellent way for young people to see and do mission. Individual congregations, clusters of congregations, dioceses, provinces, and even national agencies of the church have been doing this form of project for years. Matching the needs of certain mission efforts with the skills, availability, and interest of young people has created a very special experience for the congregation and its young people. Not every congregation can do this type of ministry, and not every young person will benefit from the experience, but for those who are able, social action projects provide a chance for young people to be involved in what can be a life changing experience. Social action projects can be organized close to home or around the world; the important factor is that a relationship between both parties is established.
Those of us who serve in ministries with the young people of the Episcopal Church have a responsibility to become the enablers of these young people and advocates for them with the leadership of the congregation, to ensure that young people are involved and included in the congregation---their congregation. It is important for them to have a solid chance to be the church! When we fit our ministry with young people into the ministry of the whole church, this vision has a greater chance of success. The opportunities are there; we need to see that we make the most of them.
from an article by Rock Carus.
8. Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church, 1994, see Title 1, Canon 17, pp. 47-48.
© 1996 The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society PECUSAThis article is from Handbook for Ministries with Older Adolescents, a publication of the Ministries with Young People Cluster of the Episcopal Church Center, New York, NY. Permission is granted for congregational use and use by diocesan youth coordinators. You may order this resource from Episcopal Parish Services.
