by Phil Colvin

Phil is Diocesan Youth Coordinator for the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster. 

Having been involved with the preparation of candidates for confirmation for several years now, I’ve been to quite a few services of confirmation. And each time it’s quite the event. It begins with a full procession of candidates, clergy and the Bishop, walking among a full Cathedral of family members and supporters.

It’s conducted with rousing music from the Cathedral choir and congregation, as part of a service which lifts candidates from their place as pilgrims from their parishes and affirms them as confirmed members of the whole Church. And as I watch individuals and groups at the close of the service posing for pictures with the Bishop and members of their families I find myself wondering,

“Gosh, I wonder how many of these folks will be in church this time next year.” Read more…

andrew Confirmation, For Leaders, Youth Ministry - Hot Ideas Confirmation, Phil Colvin

In this blog series, Christian and I will try to unpack some of the issues around short-term mission trips. We’ll be using my experience as a trip organizer and leader as backdrop, and if he’s worth his salt, Christian will poke some significant holes in my own motivations as a leader.

After several months in my job as Missioner for Youth Formation and Vocation in the Diocese of Ottawa, I noticed something. I noticed a clear lack of ministry amongst young adults. It was happening in an ad-hoc way, but there appeared to be few opportunities for young adults to gather, to explore their faith and its connection to the common good.

A number of thoughts went through my mind about how to respond to this challenge. Top of the list was to journey with a group of young adults to visit friends in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana. My friend, the Rev. Rich Clark – a priest in that diocese – had invited me to bring a group of young people. With an open invitation, a knowledge that there would be friendly faces on the other end, and that it could be a great opportunity to learn and grow, we began planning the trip.  Read more…

andrew Missions, News, Youth Ministry - Hot Ideas Andrew Stephens-Rennie, Christian Harvey, Missions

http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church

Reason #6 – The church feels unfriendly to those who doubt.
Young adults with Christian experience say the church is not a place that allows them to express doubts. They do not feel safe admitting that sometimes Christianity does not make sense. In addition, many feel that the church’s response to doubt is trivial. Some of the perceptions in this regard include not being able “to ask my most pressing life questions in church” (36%) and having “significant intellectual doubts about my faith” (23%). In a related theme of how churches struggle to help young adults who feel marginalized, about one out of every six young adults with a Christian background said their faith “does not help with depression or other emotional problems” they experience (18%).

Reason #6 actually summarizes the previous 5 points. Being genuinely “friendly” is central to making Church relevant to young people. I personally wouldn’t use the word friendly but you get the gist. Overprotective, shallow, antagonistic, judgemental, exclusive and unfriendly aren’t exactly ringing Christian endorsements that are outlined in this study. What are we sharing with our young people? What are we doing to support them in their faith journey? How are we relevant, supportive and open to secular and faith struggles? To begin revitalizing Church for the younger generations we need to work on getting rid of the non-Christian adjectives listed in the 6 reasons. We begin to work with a new normal rather than the old normal.

Sadly, these 6 reasons I have been blogging about and the questions they raise do not just apply to the younger generations. Many apply to leaders, adults, older congregants as well. Church cannot be everything to everybody but it can be a significant contributor to those who are looking to move forward on their spiritual journey assuming we are not stagnating. So many surveys talk about how church is becoming irrelevant but people are still spiritual. People are seeking spiritually yet not often finding what they are looking for within the church. Why is that? That’s the question we need to ask ourselves as Church. What are we as congregations doing to combat the negative adjectives? What are we doing to support those on their spiritual journeys? What are we doing to be friendly? Relevant? A true and strong Gospel centered Church? As every of the 6 reasons points out, be compassionate, listen, respect and converse. It’s not rocket science. It’s what Church should be.

laura For Leaders, Laura's Blog, Life Issues, Stories and Articles Faith Formation, love and respect, Youth Ministry 'How To', Youth Ministry How-NOT-To!

Working. Driving. Voting.

We have rules about these kinds of things. We have rules, and we attach age limits to them. Depending on your province, it might look something like this: 14, 16, 18.

Now then. At what age does a person become a full member of the body of Christ? At what age is a young person given a voice in the church? At what age do we hand them the keys? At what age do we release them into their God-given vocations?

I’ll understand if you want to take a moment to grab a pen and paper for the theological mathematics. Or, if you’d prefer, pull out a mat and a trampoline for some further mental gymnastics. I know we all explore these questions in different ways. Read more…

andrew Confirmation, Stories and Articles Andrew Stephens-Rennie, Baptism, Baptismal Covenant, Confirmation

http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church

Reason #5 – They wrestle with the exclusive nature of Christianity.
“Younger Americans have been shaped by a culture that esteems open-mindedness, tolerance and acceptance. Today’s youth and young adults also are the most eclectic generation in American history in terms of race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, technological tools and sources of authority. Most young adults want to find areas of common ground with each other, sometimes even if that means glossing over real differences. Three out of ten young Christians (29%) said “churches are afraid of the beliefs of other faiths” and an identical proportion felt they are “forced to choose between my faith and my friends.” One-fifth of young adults with a Christian background said “church is like a country club, only for insiders” (22%).” Read more…

laura For Leaders, Laura's Blog, Life Issues, Liturgy and Worship, Stories and Articles Faith Formation, love and respect, Youth Ministry 'How To'

Have you noticed how passionate and articulate teenagers can be about anything except their faith?

Eavesdrop on a conversation amongst teenagers and you’ll hear them talking passionately about many things: Friends. Video Games. Relationships. Celebrities. The Environment. School (well, scratch that).

But try to engage many young people in a conversation about faith, and you may as well prepare yourself for blank stares. Read more…

andrew For Leaders, Published books, Resources, Stories and Articles Almost Christian, Andrew Stephens-Rennie, Bill Cliff, Faith Formation, Hope, Kenda Creasy Dean, Narrative, Purpose, Story