2 March 2009

Youth ministry "opportunities are endless"

Wahroonga, new South Wales
Nathan Brown

After 15 years of youth ministry, Pastor Gilbert Cangy remains excited. "The opportunities are endless," he enthuses. "We have a generation of young people who are radical in their approach to-and who are ready for-the most radical of pursuits. They deserve a vision to match their passion."

Pastor Cangy is director of youth ministries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific, and he says he has observed a significant return to genuine spirituality among the young people he works and interacts with. "I find young people a lot more willing to talk about their personal faith and share their testimony in just about every forum-summer camps, youth rallies, local churches and with their friends," he reports.

"Their spirituality is also expressed in their involvement in front-line service. STORM Co is now part of mainstream youth ministry in all conferences of Australia and New Zealand. This life-changing, practical and selfless ministry leads hundreds of young people to remote communities and overseas to get their hands dirty for Jesus every school holiday. In the Pacific, this same spirituality is expressed in a strong focus on public evangelism."

But while young people seemed to be more spiritually focused, Pastor Cangy also sees a gap among some young people in "understanding their identity and specific calling as Seventh-day Adventists.

"Consequently, both Australia and New Zealand has seen the emergence of a movement of youth that is refocusing on the specific message of the Adventist Church and evangelism in the traditional forms of doorknocking, the use of Bible workers and public evangelism," he explains. "The youth department is supportive of this exciting initiative and is working alongside the leaders in mobilising the energies of young people to strengthen the church and proclaim the everlasting gospel."

Pastor Cangy sees in this focus on mission a response to a continuing issue among church young people. "Much has been said about the loss of young people from our pews," he reflects, "and I certainly do not wish to minimise it. However, the failure of leaders to challenge and engage our youth in a cause worth living and dying for is a major cause of this attrition. Our young people will not settle for mediocrity and boredom. Leaders must stand up and be counted."

One example of this was the launch of the "Retain, Reclaim, Rescue" objectives for youth ministry at the "Move With the Power" conference in 2007. Pastor Cangy says these are continuing elements of Adventist youth ministry in the South Pacific. "We cast the vision, launched initiatives and training for each one of the objectives, and have made resources available to pursue those goals," he says. "At all our committees, our leaders report specifically on each of the objectives. At the end of the quinquennium, we will measure this progress. But certainly, the direction has been embraced and the objectives are being pursued in all our conferences and missions."

According to Pastor Cangy, his work in youth ministry operates in cycles. At times, youth leaders are focused on major events, like Pathfinder camporees, youth leadership training programs and youth congresses. But in the past year, the team has been more focused on developing and updating resources and materials for youth ministry. Two major projects have been the redesign of the Master Guide program and the Pathfinder Leadership Training Scheme.

"A number of years ago, the requirements of the Master Guide program were streamlined and the church heritage and biblical sections were deleted," he explains. "Our reassessment of Master Guide has called for the reintroduction of those two essentials and a number of other adjustments. We consider this initiative to be significant in view of the current concerns in relation to Adventist identity among young people."

Youth ministry in the mission territories of the Pacific has also introduced an "Ambassador" program for young people aged 16 to 19, after they have completed Pathfinders. And Pastor Nick Kross, associate director of Adventist youth ministries for the South Pacific, has been working to establish and grow chapters of the Adventist Students Association (ASA) in Pacific nations including Samoa, Vanuatu and Fiji, as well as continuing to support ASA in Australia and New Zealand.

Resources for all these different aspects and levels of youth ministry-including Adventurers, Pathfinders, Ambassadors, senior youth, Adventist Outdoors, STORM Co and ASA-will soon be available online from a single website

But, says Pastor Cangy, "for 2009, our attention will be focused on senior youth and young adult ministry." He sees a need for a clear charter and structure for senior youth ministry, and for greater interaction between departmental youth leaders and youth ministry in local churches.

The South Pacific Adventist youth ministries team are planning a youth ministry summit in April, focused on the specific challenges of senior youth ministry in Australia and New Zealand. This will bring together young people and youth leaders to assess the effectiveness of current youth ministry, and "to dream and plan for a better future for senior youth ministry in the local church," as Pastor Cangy explains it.

"We have our joys and our challenges in youth ministry," he says. "There are some things we do well and excel at, while there are others that need urgent attention.

"Our main task is to provide leadership and opportunities for young people to embrace salvation in Jesus, to be committed to discipleship, and mobilised for service in all its shapes and forms. The response to those opportunities belongs to the young people themselves, as they are impressed and influenced by the Holy Spirit."