RECORD.net.au - Summit refocuses on local youth ministry

4 May 2009

Summit refocuses on local youth ministry

Galston, New South Wales
Nathan Brown

A summit of youth leaders and young people from across Australia and New Zealand has brought a renewed focus to the importance of ministering to young people in local churches.

"Catalyst 09" brought together almost 90 young people and youth leaders, representing all the regions in the two countries, for a weekend of reporting, brainstorming and imagining the future of the church's youth ministry at the Vision Valley Conference and Retreat Centre, Galston (NSW), from April 24 to 26.

"What we have is a lot of empowered people who have been given a platform to express the shape and form they think youth ministry ought to have in the local church," says Pastor Gilbert Cangy, director of Adventist youth ministries for the South Pacific. "Not only have they expressed that but they have left with the resolve to make it happen."

The invited participants completed a survey of their current youth ministry in preparation for their involvement in the summit and Pastor Tony Knight, director of Adventist youth ministries for Australia, presented the findings of this survey as a starting point for discussions.

"Most of those contributing to the survey reported a functional youth group in their local church," reports Pastor Knight, "but about half do not have clear goals or objective for their youth group and suggest they are not meeting the needs of their young people."

Pastor Knight says many regional youth events are rated highly but some churches seem to have decided not to connect their young people with these events, which he described as really disappointing. "But there was also a perception that regional (or conference) youth departments are not supporting local church youth groups," he reflects. "Despite the fact that some things aren't working as well as everyone would like, young people are still loyal and eager, and they want to do ministry."

These results were underlined by feedback from the discussion sessions, which highlighted issues in local churches and difficulties with finding, training and supporting local youth leaders as the two greatest challenges to youth ministry.

Pastor Chester Stanley, president of the Adventist Church in Australia and worship speaker for the weekend program, describes these findings as sobering. "It's a finding we should take seriously as a church. We need to give young people more opportunities for involvement, for action, for leadership."

Director of Adventist youth ministries for the New Zealand Pacific region, Pastor Togamau Tuaoi, agrees. "The honesty from participants has been refreshing," he says. "They have not hesitated to tell us where they think we are not fulfilling our role. The action is in the local church and we need to work to help them go, rather than focusing on building a ‘cool' conference program. Whether a small or large church, there must be models they can adopt because the local church is where the kingdom of God grows. I am hearing our young people and youth leaders saying that they want us to help them do that."

Youth leaders and young people from Australia and New Zealand
have developed a vision for the future of youth ministry,
emphasising the importance of this ministry in local churches.

According to Pastor Cangy, the outcomes of the Catalyst summit will be considered in detail by upcoming meetings on youth directors in Australia and New Zealand, as well as reported to church leaders and administrators at all levels of the church. He also hopes similar consultation process will happen in local conferences and churches.
"We are focused on developing sustainable, functional and effective youth ministries in the local church," he says. "And what we have created here is a repeatable process for all levels of youth ministry.

"I was pleasantly surprised to see when people had the chance to express their vision of youth ministry that spirituality, community, service, social justice and reaching out were high priorities," Pastor Cangy reports. "If young people have this kind of vision, we don't need to tell them, all we need to do is release them to give new expression to their fresh understanding of church."

Having participated in many of the discussion groups over the weekend, Pastor Stanley shares the youth leaders' enthusiasm for the process and outcomes from the Catalyst summit. "I was interested to see the young people's appreciation of the opportunity to have a voice, which indicates there is a sense that they are not always heard," he observes. "And I have been reminded that we have some great young people in our church around Australia and New Zealand. It has been very reassuring in terms of the quality of the young people doing their things for the church and God. It has been inspiring.

"I have also been reminded again of the value of our youth work and our youth leadership team, and the enormous amount of time and energy they put into their ministry for our young people."

Pastor Stanley says he hopes this process will continue. "We need more dreaming, new ministries, a new focus on the mission of the church, a new focus on being engaged in the community and issues in the community, and ministries to reach out to former church members," he urges. "This event has been an exciting beginning for a quantum leap forward for animportant component of our church family."