YOU ARE THE NOW!!!
Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise!
A lot of people talk about youth being the future of the Church. That couldn’t be more wrong. I feel like it’s simply an excuse for adults to not give up any of their control. As a long-time youth minister, when I hear those words, no matter how sensitively communicated, I say, “PAH!” Wanna know why? The youth that attend service – any service – are present. Now. They’re participants in the Body of Christ, and their hearts and minds are joined with the congregation in communion.
The words: “Future of the Church” only serve to further alienate kids who are in a stage of their lives where they need something to hang on to; something that they know is greater than themselves, that brings them back to the loving arms of Christ. We adults need to change our language to be more inclusive. We need to let go of our fears that the youth in our Churches will somehow screw things up. We need to truly take the position of being mentors to these young people.
Believe me, youth will respond to this. In fact, when inspired by the Light of Christ, they’re more ready to participate and volunteer to serve than most adults! So mentor the young people in your assemblies. They’re not the future. They’re the NOW!
Guitar Gear 
I’d have to add the everybody is the “NOW” of the church. last year in an effort to bring in the 20 somethings, our church decided to disband the normal Saturday night service. the church was looking to gain a foothold in the younger market, they dressed up the the sanctuary, sank 100G’s into the sound and lighting fired the band…(me included) and in the process, alienated about 300 (about 10% of the congregation) of the 30-40 and older crowd.
In an effort to maintain the peace, the church decided to set us up in a satellite room, with a video feed. the feed lasted about 6 months before the pastor decided that it would be best to preach live in both rooms.
Over the last year or so we have been able to get some upgrades in sound, all the while the “new” Saturday night service is not thriving. the attendance for both services is less then the original service that was closed down. the fact is, the the age group ranges from 20 to 60’s nearly identical to the satellite… the only difference is the type of music that is played for worship.
I often wonder about the outlook of the people who designed this service…when they reach my age?
at our church we always hear that; men praying for the youth because “they are the church of tomorrow.” it drives me up the wall. i don’t understand the thinking behind a statement like that.
we are one church!
http://youthministry.fatkidrecords.com
eric,
Sorry to hear that. A few years ago, we had a real upheaval in my church that alienated a lot of folks. Church leadership wanted to get all the music groups more in line, doing the same thing. I fought tooth and nail for diversity because you’re right on the money: The only difference between the various services is the music. Luckily, I was persistent enough to make my point, and they pretty much left me alone to provide music for the service I lead. It took a couple of years to build attendance, but it really hurt the parish overall.
Importantly, whether the leadership believes it or not; whether they like it or not, people are not just drawn to the spoken Word or in my case as a Catholic, to the ritual surrounding the Word. Music is an integral part of the worship experience, and you cannot trivialize its importance; otherwise you end up alienating a lot of people. The service that I lead music at started out as a youth/young adult service, but now, there are actually more 30-60 year olds there now than there are young people. Go figure. I guess they want to rock as well. 🙂
brandon, yeah, I totally know what you mean by getting driven up the wall by what I consider shortsighted thinking. The best we can do as youth ministers is to constant speak in the now and maintain an all-inclusive approach. The people will eventually “get it.” It’s hard work, but it’s worth it!
GoofyDawg
Great point. We may be the “future parents” and “future elders” but we’re still the current younger portion of the existent church. I remember a young leader named Timothy whom Paul encouraged saying, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because of your youth but set an example in speech, purity, etc…”
And as it regards different services for different ages – Ugh! I’m not Roman Catholic, but I sure can appreciate the ancient liturgy as well as newer expressions of that same faith. Is it so much to ask that other people be cool with the church NOT being a McDonald’s but instead a community of all ages that is indwelt with Christ?
Keep up the good work – I like your guitar/God theme – I have one of my own.
Incidentally – do you think that a clean twin sounds better with say, a proco rat than an overdriven marshall?
tdmiller,
Great point about the MacDonald’s church…
As for the clean Twin with an overdrive box, well, that’s a tough thing to answer because the Twin is a naturally bright amp as are most Fenders, and with an overdrive box, it sounds significantly different then an overdriven Marshall. I suppose you could get that hairy kind of fuzz by playing around, but that’s not what the Twin offers. It really boils down to what you want to achieve tonally.