Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - July/80

Contributor - Annette Curry

Title - A Suggestion For Your Youth Organization

Topic - Youth

The Problem

"Different is beautiful,

God bless variety

Just look around and see,

Different is beautiful."

These words of Avery and Marsh ring true, especially when you look at your youth group. Each youth group is made up of many individuals, each with his own special interests and needs. Sometimes it becomes difficult to meet the needs of each individual with the particular structure of our groups. Some of the group are eager for Bible study and deep spiritual growth, while others are more interested in enjoying fellowship through social activities in the company of friends. Does this sound familiar to you? How can you meet the needs of your entire group and satisfy everyone? Dividing a regular meeting into two sections may be one solution, but may not allow for maximum spiritual growth for those desiring the meat and potatoes of the Bible. A concentration on Bible study and prayer may deter those who have not responded to Christ's call of discipleship. It may also present a situation where you would be reluctant to bring in a friend who has not shown much interest in the church.

A SOLUTION

Lawrence 0. Richards presents one possible solution to this problem. He. entities it an organic approach to organization. Further details on his principles can be found in his book 'Youth Ministry-its renewal in the local church', put out by Zondervan. I would like to briefly outline his concept, adding some of my own thoughts.

His structure is based around five groups: The leader, the teen core, the leader core, the contact group and the world setting. Basically this involves having your youth group formed of two parts: the teen core and the contact group.

The teen core is formed of youth who want to further their spiritual lives through Bible study, prayer and getting involved with service for Christ.

The contact group is the group of youth who are associated with the church in some way and who generally attend some of the activities to the challenge of discipleship.

In practical terms, this might mean having the entire youth group meet every other week with an emphasis on social activities. On the alternate week, the core group would meet for an emphasis on discipleship, concentrating on spiritual growth. The core roup would reach out to the contact group as well as to the world which they meet in their daily lives. The core group is always open for new members from the contact group.

Members of the core group would not assume the leadership of the contact group, but would be active within the group. A leader would be essential. He/she would guide the program. setting an example for all the youth. All adults who work with the youth would form the leader core and would help with programming.

Further suggestions that might work for your group would be a) have your core group meet for breakfast once a week or twice a month; b) have the contact group meet only once a month or on the contrary, meet every week for an hour; c) if your group is large, form two or three groups meeting at different times and/or places.

Remember that just because the teen core is meeting for Bible study, it does not mean that the contact group would be left with little or no exposure to the spiritual element in their meetings. The emphasis would be on a social activity- games, singing, creative activities, etc., but there would be some Bible study incorporated as well.

Getting a program like this going may take some effort and perhaps further commitment from the leader and the group. However, it may be a solution to meeting the needs of the people in your group more effectively.

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