Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Jan/75

Contributor - Robert Westra

Title - Some Ideas on Youth

Topic - Youth

The youth group in Edmonton began with about a half dozen young people in September. They were as excited as a kicked dog. They had no goals, no incentive and no hope. Apathy was rampant. The executive members were about to resign. They had suffered through 1973-74 with but a few members. What went wrong?

They didn't know, . and cared little at the time of the first meeting. I was just appointed by the consistory to get them off the ground and I didn't know what had to be done to get them out of the doldrums of despair and hopelessness. My wife and I looked over the list of young people that were baptized or connected to the church in some way and discovered that we had over 70 young people over the age of 16 years!

When I told these half dozen people about this it hit them like a "ton of bricks". The people were there, but why were we not attracting them? - We then set down and analyzed our failures, set some goals and planned the manner in which we could accomplish them. Presently we have 20 to 25 youth attending our youth fellowship.

Arising from my involvement in youth work, I would like to share with the readers some of my observations and conclusions which may be of some benefit to the church for the ongoing work of youth in the church of Jesus Christ.

The energy and vitality, which is so characteristic of youth, need direction from the church. So often they are left to find a place within that church community on their own initiative and effort. Somehow there is that feeling that youth must do their own thing and they must do it without too much interference with the established programs and goals of the church. It is felt that youth organizations are for the benefit of the youth, not for the benefit of the total church community. If youth wish to be a part of the Church they then should individually integrate into the total church structure. Many pass them off as immature and incompetent, unable to carry out their intended and supposedly high-minded contributions. which are often felt to be impossible to execute. Because of this erroneous philosophy youth organizations often suffer by being unable to contribute as an important group within the church.

Instead, the church should give direction by means of youth advisors, acting as liasons between the church and the youth, so that their ideas and potential contributions can be seriously considered. If direction is not given by the church, the youth will sense this to mean that the church is not interested in them or what they have to offer.

In addition there is this idea that the church ought to do something for the youth. This may be honorable, but fatal to youth involvement. No church can do something for youth for very long if no youth are involved in the decision-making process. If the church decides to have a youth camp, then it must also include youth representatives on the youth camp committee. In Alberta, this is what the Classical Youth

Agents have done - that is, include youth representatives from each church on the Alberta Youth Committee to decide where and how a camp is to be developed. Things have begun to happen as a result.

This leads us to the next point youth demand responsibility and expect the church and their parents to trust them to fulfill their obligations. So many are afraid to let their youth take up greater responsibilities for fear that they may fail. But the question is, how can one learn to drive if he is never given the opportunity to make a mistake. Let the young people accept new responsibilities, trusting them to fulfil them. Do not take over the driving when the road gets rough, but encourage and coach them. C. S. Lewis once said, "Suspicion often creates what it suspects." Don't suspect them - trust them and they will do a good job of it.

Finally the passions of youth demand I self-control. They may make a lot of noise about free sex, open drug useage and excessive permissiveness, but inwardly they are seeking our approval for that which is "right". If we are active in our Christian faith as a result of disciplined bible study, prayer and Christian living then we can show them the "right" way and they will follow. "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it." (Prov. 22 :6).

In Alberta, our youth plan to complete challenging tasks. Those plans will find their fulfilment within the stability of the church, only when both generations are willing to accept the contributions of the other.

Youth brings to this tired old world new enthusiasm, eagerness to try new and different things, a spirit of adventure and a faith for the future. The older generation brings trust, experience, stability and perseverance. Together as a team, the Lord can work in the church to give us rich returns for the glory of His Name within the world.

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