Can the Church ever reach young people again?
Amongst the rather depressing statistics well-nigh decline in attendance at Church building of England services, one that stands out is the plummeting of date with immature people. Jimmy Dale is the Church of England's National Youth Evangelism Officer, and I had the hazard to ask him about the current state of affairs—how we got here, and whether annihilation might change in the futurity.
IP: How did yous come to faith? And how did you end up working in the surface area of youth evangelism?
JD: I was brought up in a Christian household (my dad was a strict Baptist minister), simply like many clergy children, I fought against my parent's faith, until upon moving out from home at xviii, I had what I'd call a conversion moment at an interview for Carroty Wood Chance Centre. From there, I worked in adventure sports until sensing God was calling me into something else, which eventually resulted in me taking a job with an Anglican Church building in Eastward London, where I served as a youth worker for 5 years.
After that, I set up a local Youth For Christ heart in Newham, East London, with a strong sense that we needed to do more than to equip the local church building to exercise sustainable and effective youth ministry building. For the next five years, the squad and I worked with over ninety churches to aid set upwardly, establish and grow youth ministry around Newham. From this role, I was encouraged to utilize for the new Youth Evangelism post with the Church building of England, which I stated in 2017.
IP: A generation ago, there appeared to be a broad variety of ways that churches were working finer with young people. What has changed—is at that place a single major reason why the state of affairs has changed so much, or are there multiple factors?
JD: This is a really challenging question, and in that location are lots of factors at play. I recollect in the last ten years, youth culture has inverse, with the pressure around exams is so much greater than it has e'er been before. A decade ago, parents looked for things to proceed their children safe, and then organised activities were invaluable. Now nosotros've moved on from that, with young people who are time-poor and parents looking for what Andrew Root calls activities with 'the greatest practiced' for their children—the activities that will give them the all-time advantage in life.
Our response equally the church building has frequently been to drop our USP of introducing immature people to Jesus and see them discipled in favour of fun and grouping action. The track tape, unfortunately, shows that this hasn't had the desired effect, with the number of churches engaging in growing youth and children's ministry in steep decline.
IP: We discovered in General Synod that there are some churches which are working with significant numbers of immature people. Do we have anything particular to learn from them?
JD: I think we often operate out of a self-written narrative, and one which is prevalent in youth and children's ministry is that of "the big church". Equally you notation, a small-scale group of churches (6.four%) correspond a considerable amount of the children and immature people we see on a Sunday (44%). At that place will exist a whole host of reasons for this, be information technology a by-product of existence a large church building, historically having run a robust youth and children's ministry or great leaders (be they employed or lay leaders). The struggle is how we view them, either with resignation (nosotros don't need to do anything because they volition) or contempt (they're stealing all the immature people).
I think fantabulous youth ministry is built around 2 things: people with a heart for those they serve; and churches with a culture to resources and prioritise that ministry building. I recollect some of those churches with lots of children and young people accept found slap-up means to grow both of these things, and I'grand excited to see how this can be used to resources the wider church.
IP: For the average local church with an ageing congregation, is at that place a feasible way back to engaging with young people? Or does something unlike need to happen?
JD: I call up it starts with a church'south heart. The phrase "a church building exists for the benefit of its non-members" is actually of import (and very rarely true). The danger is making—and nosotros often do make—decisions based on what benefits our existing congregation near and what will rock the boat least. The church building yous describe needs to decide to run across youth and children's ministry as a priority rather than just some other possible thing on a list.
An illustration I often apply is when I completed an Ironman race (if you're not sure what that is, information technology's a triathlon with a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bicycle so a 26.2 miles run). There was an enormous level of training to compete in the race—4 am cycle rides in the pelting, every weekend and evening were given over to sessions, I was doing over 30 hours of training a calendar week! At that place'southward a joke in the Ironman community that if y'all go to the get-go line and you're notwithstanding married, yous haven't trained hard plenty! I did all this because I wanted to do an Ironman race; information technology was on my bucket listing.
I also say that I want to learn French, that's also on my bucket listing, only I'chiliad not committing 30 seconds, let lonely 30 hours a week, to learning French! If I devoted 30 hours a week, I could speak French. But although I can logically conclude this means I don't really want to acquire French, I still believe I practise. The conclusion I've come up to is that I want to have the ability to speak French—equally long as I don't have to do anything, change anything, and information technology doesn't toll me anything. If I tin click my fingers and be fluent in French, that's on my saucepan listing. The struggle is that despite realising this, I will continue to communicate that "I'd dearest to learn how to speak French; it's on my saucepan list". We have lots of churches that desire to take children and young people. My claiming is whether this expanse of ministry is Ironman or French? What are they willing to do, to requite upward, to commit to seeing it happen?
But information technology's not easy. Thinking practically of the church you describe, I'd suggest starting by running a weekly prayer meeting to pray for the young people and children of the parish, the young people and children they know. This will begin to build the culture that is so key. It also helps develop the hearts of your parishioners. More importantly, it tells you lot if this is 'French' or 'Ironman'! It'southward that culture that's so key—people who are committed to seeing children and young people in the kingdom of God regardless of what it costs.
And for those who have discounted themselves because they are old—I would have an lxxx-year-old who passionately loves young people any day over a 24-year-sometime who's there to tick a box or considering their friends are involved! Young people want to be seen, they want to be heard, and they want to be unconditionally loved. That's something anyone tin can practise—only y'all need to choose to do it, and it won't happen by accident.
IP: What are the major questions for young people near faith? What bug do we need to engage with them?
JD: I retrieve at that place are many questions young people are asking but three rise to the top: who am I? where do I fit? and what difference tin can I make? Young people are desperately grappling with the questions of identity, affinity, bear on and power that these questions encapsulate.
Aslope the issue of which questions are being asked, I remember we also need to consider our models for engaging with these questions. The pupil movement Fusion created a handy model chosen Mission Styles, which I find really helpful when thinking about this. They say there are four Mission Styles, modelled by Jesus in the gospels equally ways of sharing faith with people. They are:
- Convince me (likes to counterbalance stuff up earlier coming to conclusions);
- Let me experience (just goes ahead and tries stuff);
- Talk with me (is looking to connect through conversation); and
- Evidence me (Wants to see the practical outworking of faith).
I think we accept a tendency to gravitate to whichever missional style we like to engage with. For many, that's 'convince me' and looks similar apologetics, only it's then vital that this does not become the only manner nosotros engage with young people's questions. Mentoring (Talk with me), worship and service (Let me experience) and social justice (show me) are as relevant in helping immature people respond these big questions and see the difference that following Jesus can brand.
IP: How do you come across your role as National Youth Evangelism Officer? How can we make best employ of you?
JD: Equally the National Youth Evangelism Officer, my role is to promote and resource youth evangelism across the Church building of England. I run across that every bit doing a few things.
Get-go, it's most trying to agree a national pic of what's happening, non but within every level of the Church of England but more broadly in youth culture and society.
Secondly, the role looks to aid resources young people to share their organized religion with their peers, something we have looked to do through resource like Mission University Live and programmes like Amplify.
Thirdly, it's about helping churches and dioceses call up more creatively virtually their youth ministry, and more specifically evangelism, as an absolute priority.
Finally information technology'due south about creating (and pioneering) more pregnant systemic ideas and initiatives that help open upwards new opportunities for youth ministry to flourish in the Church building of England.
IP: Is at that place promise for the Church building of England in its work with young people?
JD: The Church of England has only appear its vision and strategy for the adjacent 10 years, a Jesus-centred church which is simpler, humbler and bolder with 3 strategic priorities:
- (To become) a church building of missionary disciples;
- (To become) a church where mixed ecology is the norm;
- (To become) a younger and more diverse church.
At the recent Synod contend on the Vision and Strategy, i of the bold outcomes mentioned in relation to the final strategic priority wasDoubling the number of children and young, active disciples in the Church building of England by 2030. While this might seem an aggressive target, especially given that we are currently in decline, this target excites me for two reasons.
First, it specifically calls for growth in young active disciples. This means this isn't just a numbers game—finding clever new ways to count bums on seats—but instead points to the cadre aim of seeing children and young people'due south lives transformed.
Secondly, though, it excites me considering information technology's an all-in or all-out target. You're non going to achieve this with some new resource and a flake or good comms. This is a call for an 'Ironman, not French' arroyo to tackling the area of youth and children'southward ministry in the church. Without a total commitment to a culture change at every level, exist that parish level, within the diocese or from the national church building, we run the take a chance of not doing annihilation, either through fear of not knowing what to do or just doing also little.
This target doesn't give united states the option to sit back, hoping someone else will do the work for the states; it calls for all of us, at every level, to engage with how we can share a new the expert news of Jesus with this young generation.
IP: Thanks for your time—and cheers so much for engaging in this heady and vital ministry. Nosotros pray that God will bless and sustain your ministry, and make it a very fruitful partnership with churches and dioceses.
Jimmy Dale is the National Youth Evangelism Officer for the Church of England, responsible for promoting and resourcing youth evangelism across the country. Jimmy is based in London and is married to Sarah and has a 1 year erstwhile girl called Elsie. As well every bit beingness passionate nearly youth ministry building and evangelism, he is a keen Spurs fan, a running enthusiast, and a passionate advocate of Apple products (Ed: he must be a expert affair then!).
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