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.

So what’d you come up with?

Did you sense that the answer is different in theory and practice? That it might change from church to church and person to person?

Even though from the time of baptism, our children have been signed with the cross and marked as Christ’s own forever, we still wrestle with the idea of empowering youth leadership.

At baptism, we pray that God sustain the baptized in the Holy Spirit; that God would give inquiring and discerning hearts; courage to will and to persevere; spirit to know and to love God; and the gifts of joy and wonder in all God’s works.

Baptism is one thing. Confirmation is another. If baptism is about God’s covenant, confirmation is about commissioning. It’s about the decision and proclamation of our active participation in God’s mission for others. We are commissioned in the midst of a communities replete with others who have made this commitments themselves.

For my part, I was confirmed at the age of 29. As someone who came to the Anglican Church later in life, confirmation was about publically offering myself in service to Christ’s church. In the midst of my parish community, it was a public commitment to live into the ministries with which God has entrusted me.

Praying over me on All Saints Day, several years back, Bishop John Chapman said: “Renew in this your servant the covenant you made with him at his baptism. Send him forth in the power of that Spirit to perform the service you set before him; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.”

These powerful words resonate with me still. It’s incredible to see young people committing themselves to follow Jesus. I think I would be more excited if confirmation didn’t all-too-often mark the time when young people graduate out of the church.

In some instances we make deals with our children: “you only have to come to church until you’re confirmed.” In others, confirmation is a cultural phenomenon – We see young people at the appointed time for confirmation, and then they slip back out into the night.

But what if we expected more of young people than the “fact” that young people simply leave the church in their early teens? Have they no spiritual yearnings? If they do, where are they going to explore them? Why can’t the church go there?

Let’s step back and play with the idea of graduation for a moment. If confirmation is like graduation, isn’t it about a graduation from one thing to another? If true, what comes after confirmation?

What if this rite of passage carried more weight? What if it ushered young people into greater responsibility? What if it amplified their voice? What if it handed them the keys to the church? What if it empowered them in their God-given vocation?

These times of transition aren’t easy. My mom tells me about her nervousness on my first day of school. My parents were terrified when I first got my license. The first summer I didn’t join the family on vacation, in order to work, was a difficult transition. And yet, each of these things contributed to the people we are today.

As we prepare young people for confirmation, are we preparing them to embrace their God-given ministries? Are we empowering them to ask questions about how they might participate in God’s mission to the world? Are we encouraging them to dream God’s dreams for the world they know (and the one we find so mysterious)?

If the church is going to thrive, and to minister in all generations, we need to create more space for young people to take ownership of their faith and opportunities for them to embrace the ministries of the church. It is part of the Baptismal Covenant, after all.

Could confirmation be the place where this could happen? I’m hoping that after we’re done with all of the theological mathematics and mental gymnastics we can handle, the answer is yes.

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%).”

Although this study is obviously American, I would hazard to guess that the exclusive nature of Christianity is felt by Canadian youth as well. Many of us have tried for years to get churches to look at being outward looking rather than inward. That’s the main point of the Marks of Mission ad Fresh Expressions of Church. The church exclusiveness comes from decades of not needing to look outwards because our pews were full and Sundays were centered on family and church. Times have changed and diversified. A lot of youth understand the concept of growth and change but many adults in our church don’t. Many continue to think their church has always been there and will continue to be. In reality we are facing a time where many church buildings and congregations are failing. We are facing a time of questions and challenges. We are facing times of trial and change. Youth want to be socially engaged, politically motivated and relevant and are often not finding that in their home parishes. Youth want to engage in something that has meaning, worth and that includes their social interactions. Their peer groups are the driving force behind behaviour and social circles. If our churches exclude youth’s peers because of inward looking or condescending church behaviour is less then helpful when trying to engage the youth that are searching and looking for acceptance.

How many times have we heard congregations say that they don’t want to change the liturgy, service times, music, coffee hour? How many times do we ask for Sunday School teachers, youth leaders and an actual youth budget? Change is not a necessary evil. Change is just plain necessary. It’s not about throwing out the old but it is including the new. One does not have to be in place of the other. There is a need to lose the exclusive country club attitude and warm up to inclusivity, change and relevance.  Those parishes that do this will draw young people to them and open up the doors of opportunity and have an ability to preach the gospel without words.

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.

Have you noticed how passionate and articulate adults can be about anything except their faith? Friends, Family, Work, and even Politics are all fair game. Yet try to engage many church-going adults in conversations about faith and you may as well prepare yourself for blank stares.

Coincidence. Yes or No?

In her challenging new book, Princeton scholar Kenda Creasy Dean writes, “Since the religious and spiritual choices of teenagers echo, with astonishing clarity, the religious and spiritual choices of the adults who love them, lackadaisical faith is not young people’s issue, but ours.” If youth ministry is struggling in our churches, we all have some work to do, together.

Throughout the Anglican Church of Canada, we spend a great deal of time speaking about the importance of youth ministry. For some of us, youth ministry is about the future of the church. We want our tradition to continue, our buildings to stand strong, and our community presence to last a long time.

These are all good things.

We remember the times when we were younger, the relationships we had, and the role the church played in our own lives growing up. We recall the large Sunday Schools, the church picnics and outings. We recall, with fondness, many wonderful memories. We might even remember a bible story or two.

Perhaps we think back to camping trips or dances. Perhaps we think back to New Beginnings or Challenge weekends we’ve sent our children on.

Sometimes, when we gather to talk about youth ministry, we focus on technique. What will keep young people interested? What will attract them to church? What will keep them there in the long run? We’re concerned for the future of the church, and rightly so.

But sometimes we’re just spinning our wheels. Sometimes we spend far more time trying to find the latest tricks and techniques than we do remembering what brings us together in the first place. Sometimes we forget God’s story, into which we have all been invited.

We are created in God’s own image. We are loved by the God who constantly offers us hope and new life through self-sacrificing love. We have been entrusted with the stewardship of all of God’s good creation. We are a called-out people who follow Jesus in proclaiming God’s upside-down kingdom to all we encounter. We are co-heirs with Jesus of this kingdom, which will one day be fully revealed.

This gospel is astounding. It is good news for all people. Yet we struggle to communicate that sense of awe and wonder with one another. We are recipients of God’s grace and mercy against all odds. And in all of this, as the Rev. Canon Bill Cliff pointed out to the 1000 gathered teens and leaders at the Canadian Lutheran Anglican Youth Gathering, God always acts first.

This is mind-blowing stuff. Do we treat it that way? Do we live that way? Can we articulate what it means for ourselves to be a part of God’s family? If we cannot, how then will we communicate the importance of our Christian faith and Anglican tradition to our children?

In “Almost Christian,” Dean goes on to share four significant traits that teens committed to their Christian faith hold in common:

1) They have a personal story about God they can share,
2) A deep connection to a faith community,
3) A sense of purpose,
4) A sense of hope about their future.

And these things are as important for teenagers as they are for adults. Dean continues: “If teenagers lack an articulate faith, it may be because the faith we show them is too spineless to merit much in the way of conversation.” As a church, if we’re to get this youth ministry thing right, we too will need to develop the traits Dean speaks about. The research is nearly unanimous: parents matter most in shaping the religious lives of their children.

If youth ministry is important to us, we will find the words and ways to articulate our own stories about God. We will connect more deeply with our faith communities. We will seek to understand our purpose and God’s call on our lives, and we will place our hope in God’s future.

Youth ministry is simpler than we think yet it does require something of us. It requires that we share our lives with young people, and that we model in thought, word and deed, what it is we believe. This is something we can do together. Will you join in?

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

Reason #4 – Young Christians’ church experiences related to sexuality are often simplistic, judgmental.
“With unfettered access to digital pornography and immersed in a culture that values hyper-sexuality over wholeness, teen and twentysometing Christians are struggling with how to live meaningful lives in terms of sex and sexuality. One of the significant tensions for many young believers is how to live up to the church’s expectations of chastity and sexual purity in this culture, especially as the age of first marriage is now commonly delayed to the late twenties. Research indicates that most young Christians are as sexually active as their non-Christian peers, even though they are more conservative in their attitudes about sexuality. One-sixth of young Christians (17%) said they “have made mistakes and feel judged in church because of them.” The issue of sexuality is particularly salient among 18- to 29-year-old Catholics, among whom two out of five (40%) said the church’s “teachings on sexuality and birth control are out of date.””

Wow! Aside from the snickers from some of my younger youth group members, I would expect that sexuality in a Christian context would bring some pretty interesting discussion to the table. Perhaps somewhat awkward but never-the-less interesting! I would think that most groups invovling the younger people of the church don’t often discuss sexuality in any fashion. Perhaps another well-guarded topic the Church avoids? I remember eons ago (yes it was a few decades) when I was youth member in a Brampton Anglican Church that sexuality wasn’t talked about it was just instilled in us that sex before marriage was wrong and you had better be a “good” kid. So much for deep, theological language and non-judgemental discussion.

These days I truly believe young people have a depth of sexual knowledge those of us in older generations were not privy too or perhaps just never spoke of. Those of us in leadership roles need to be able to rationally discuss the issues and questions that young people face today when it comes to their sexuality. We need to be able to talk about traditional and non-traditional relationships, sex, values, self-esteem and other questions as it pertains to our younger members of church. It’s not about answering questions but about bringing opportunities for young people to learn, question and evaluate from a Christian perspective. To give them support and the ability to make good, healthy decisions that are helpful to them as young Christians. We need to look at the secular input, the peer pressure, the socialization and commercialization youth face today. Sex is no longer taboo for many youth and even the institution of marriage is questioned. We have a tension between what Christian young people want, what they think the Church espouses and then all the questions that go with that tension. We need to be able to have an open conversation about sexuality and what it means to a Christian teen in this day and age without being judgemental. So once again, communicate! Be open to discussion, debate and questions. Listen, challenge, accept and talk. The church has the ability to move forward and be relevant, to be deep and meaningful. Don’t pass up this as a great youth ministry opportunity because the topic is considered hush hush.

In February 2009, and again in February 2010, I co-led two successive trips to New Orleans.

Both times, we travelled during University reading week. Both times the trip closely coincided with Mardi Gras.

I wonder why the students came.

Was it pure altruism? Was it a process of self-discovery? Was it the story of a city neglected by its own mayor, state politicians and federal government?

Was it the plea from our friends and partners in the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana? What was it, exactly that brought two separate groups together to travel to New Orleans?

Sometimes I still wonder why I organized the trip. Why did we go a second time?

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.

Along with you, we hope to wrestle through the implications of this whole short-term missions enterprise.

Because it is an enterprise. It’s big business, in fact.

And whether we like it or not, every time we engage in one of these trips, we are, to some extent complicit in the Christian Industrial Complex. What do these trips say about us, about our faith, and the way we live it out? And how do they connect to the ways in which we live our lives when we’re not on some exotic adventure to a far-flung and exciting corner of the world?

I guess one of the questions we need to ask ourselves is whether it’s worth it. And if it’s worth it, how do we best frame these trips to mitigate the amount of damage they do – to ourselves and to the people we’re hoping to serve?

Our hope for this series is that you will engage with the story, engage with the questions, and ask questions of your own. Ask questions of yourselves, of us, of one another.

Whether you’ve led one of these trips before, or whether you’re considering them for the future, ask all kinds of questions. Share your suggestions. Help us to think more thoroughly about the impact of our good intentions on those with and amongst whom we hope to serve.

Reason #3 that young Christians leave the church.  http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church

Reason #3 – Churches come across as antagonistic to science.
“One of the reasons young adults feel disconnected from church or from faith is the tension they feel between Christianity and science. The most common of the perceptions in this arena is “Christians are too confident they know all the answers” (35%). Three out of ten young adults with a Christian background feel that “churches are out of step with the scientific world we live in” (29%). Another one-quarter embrace the perception that “Christianity is anti-science” (25%). And nearly the same proportion (23%) said they have “been turned off by the creation-versus-evolution debate.” Furthermore, the research shows that many science-minded young Christians are struggling to find ways of staying faithful to their beliefs and to their professional calling in science-related industries.”

Really?? Or is the true reason isnt’ that we are antagonistic but that we as Church don’t explain things well or we avoid challenging topics all together? Personally, I think we don’t discuss many of the tough topics with our youth.  Antagonistic is a harsh word to describe the tension that exists between church and secular issues but there is a definite tension present that youth are often caught in.  This tension is present when there is lack of discussion or an inability to handle debate on a difficult issue. In this case perhaps we are scared to tread on biblical teachings and to discuss what we believe or to challenge the various understandings on it.

Reason #3 is a great opportunity to talk and discuss hard questions that youth have. It’s a chance to listen, challenge and work through the issue in a positive aspect so everyone can learn and have a say.  It’s a challenge to read, talk and debate what the bible says, what our Church believes, our interpretation of these things and what we personally believe.  We aren’t antagonistic. We are often just aren’t communicating or we are avoiding the difficult conversations for more safe and neutral ones.

Talk it up! Learn and grow together. We don’t all have to agree but having a conversation and/or debate is a much better way to include those who have questions then simply hoping it will go away if we ignore it long enough. Tough questions and challenges are good. They engage not only each other’s intellect but our passion to understand and learn. So don’t be antagonised. Be thoughtful, creative and open to the tough stuff. Keep an open mind and help each other grow in faith through discussion and learning.

Be sure to visit www.clay2012.ca for more information on registration, and all of the exciting new opportunities to participate this year!

We can’t wait to see you and the young people from your community at the gathering.

This is a book that’s been recklessly promoted throughout the Anglican Church. You’ll find it at conferences, featured on the shelves of well-meaning booksellers, and recommended on many youth ministry blogs. As for me, I wish it would just go away.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, there’s something about this situation that doesn’t sit well with me. It’s a bit too bleak for my taste. When I spend too much time thinking about the future of a church that celebrates Single Digit Youth Ministry, I get depressed.

Is this all we’re shooting for? Is this all the imagination we can muster? Are we really that defeatist? Why do we set our mental barrier at 9 young people? Have we forgotten how to dream? Have we forgotten why we’re doing this in the first place?

I have no trouble affirming that youth ministry is about more than numbers. Yet whether there’s one young person in a congregation, or whether there are many, we are often slave to numbers. We either use them to tell ourselves that “everything’s alright,” or that there’s “something rotten” in the state of youth ministry.

We are not our numbers. We need not be captive to them. We find our primary identity in Christ, and the mission to which God has called us. What we are called to, beyond the numbers that enslave us, is to enable people to know Jesus Christ, live and share the good news, grow in faith and serve God’s world.

We are called to minister to young people in our midst, and to take the gospel to all who might be in need of a little good news (whether they happen to come to our churches or not).

Forgive my bout of evangelical fever, but if there is good news to be shared, why are we not sharing it? If this is good news for all people, why are we so frightened of ministering to more than the few children of families who currently attend our church? What is it about our understanding of the gospel that leads us to be so reserved?

We may not have tens and hundreds of young people flocking to our churches on a Sunday morning, but that shouldn’t stop us. It shouldn’t stop us from exercising our ministry (as if Sunday morning worship is the only place where ministry happens).

As Christians, our mission and ministry ripple outwards from the Eucharistic table. If these ripples do not go past the walls and doors of our church buildings, I fear we have somehow missed the point.

I once heard Bishop Sean Rowe from the Episcopal Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania suggest that the best approach is not to get bogged down by the barriers to change. Instead, he suggested, we need to find ways to “flip the dilemma.” Treat a roadblock as an opportunity. Let it redirect our attention. Follow the energy. Step out, take the risk, and do something.

But if we try something new, we might fail. That scares us. It holds us back. Yet we worship a God of extravagance who sows far and wide. We read the story in Mark’s gospel of seed being cast with wild abandon on all kinds of seemingly inhospitable soil.

Doesn’t the farmer know he will fail? He probably does. He knows not all these seeds will take root and grow into healthy plants. And yet he spreads the seed anyway.

I wonder what it might be like if we ministered amongst young people with such wild abandon. I wonder what would happen if we were willing to sow the seeds far and wide, and refused to limit ourselves to the boundaries of yesterday’s models for youth ministry.

What might happen of we, like the sower, spread the good news with such reckless abandon? What if we saw our ministry as existing beyond the few young people who currently show up on Sunday morning?

Do we have in mind the possibility that our ministry amongst young people could expand? Are we willing to invest time and energy and money in more than babysitting the few youth who come? Are we willing to focus our ministry outwards?

The good news is, there’s plenty of help out there. You’re not alone. We have one another. I’ve seen parishes working together to accomplish more than they can ask or imagine. I’ve seen youth ministries that go into the wider community to connect with young people through cooking classes and drum circles and bible study and social justice.

Maybe your church is dreaming new dreams. Maybe you’re asking how your youth ministry is good news for the community in which you live. That’s a great place to start! Whatever help our national Youth Initiatives Team can bring – whether as a sounding board, a connector, or folks with fresh ideas – please be in touch.

We can’t wait to dream with you as we plant seeds for an abundant harvest.

By Christian Harvey

As the current manifestation of the “occupy” comes to a close I find myself being asked what I feel about the movement.  I have to answer that my feelings are complicated.

First, I feel excited.  That so many people from around the world are bravely speaking out  against the system that dominates us, that entraps us, that takes our imaginations hostage so that we cannot even dream of another way excites me.  We know that change happens when people join together and speak out, and that is what is happening.

Second, I feel angry.  I find myself getting angry especially in regards to the movement in Canada, when I hear people saying “What are they complaining about?  We aren’t the States, things here are pretty good.”  Yes, for many of us things are pretty good, we are living a comfortable life, living in a good house or apartment, eating well, working a good job, going to the movies, but let us be clear, this is not the case for many Canadians.  Many people across our country have to make the decision between paying the rent and eating, and the gap between the comfortable and the struggling is growing at an alarming rate.  If there is ever a time that people need to speak up and say we need a more equitable system that closes the gap, it is now.

Third, I feel ashamed.  This is because as I hear the voices of those who were in the encampments calling the powers to repent, calling the rich to stop feeding on the poor, calling for an end to the constant destroying of the gift of creation that we have been given, calling for a new world, I realize that it should of been us!  These young people around the world have had to stand up and be a prophetic voice because the church at large has so often given up her prophetic voice in order to be comfortable, in order to grow, in order to succeed in a consumer culture.  Our vocation is to proclaim a new kingdom that is being birthed within the shell of the old.  It is to call out to the powerful and rich to repent, to turn around to stop their trek toward death and destruction and join the movement that offers life to all.  But instead, we buy into the myth of consumerism that our vocation is to grow, to expand, to protect the institution.

I often hear people within the church join others critical of “occupy” with the criticism that it is not clear what they are asking for.  I don’t understand why this makes Christians uncomfortable, we are a part of movement that doesn’t focus on one particular issue, we are to proclaim that the whole world needs to change its direction, needs to change its heart.  Did Jesus have a specific ask?  No, for he new that the troubles with the world are greater than this or that issue, but rather it is the greed, the selfishness, the sin in the human heart that needed to be addressed.

We as Christian’s should be grateful to the occupy movement, for they spoke out when many of us were silent, they put themselves out there, facing mocking voices, cold conditions and cold hearts to call for all of us to repent.

I pray that the greater church world wide would join these brothers and sisters, stand with them, and realize our vocation to proclaim truth to power.

By Christian Harvey

Last week Andrew posted a great reflection on the trouble with short term missions.  This is something with which I have struggled with a lot and would like to come at it from a different angle.

Most youth and young adults head out on short term missions because they want to make a difference, they want to help, they want to battle injustice.  It would most likely be devastating for them to know that their short term endeavors may actually make things worse for the people they are meant to serve!  Many are thinking “How could this be?  How could arriving in a poor country with a group of people and building a school/ painting a church/ serving an orphanage/ building a well/ etc. be bad?”  In his book Toxic Charity, author Robert Lupton notes that most people think that their short term project will:

• Empower those being served
• engender healthy cross cultural relationships
• improve local quality of life
• relieve poverty
• change the lives of participants
• increase support for long-term mission work

The reality is that many, if not most mission trips end up:

• weakening those being served
• fostering dishonest relationships
• eroding recipients’ work ethic
• deepening dependency.

How do these end up being the results of the service trips of well meaning, caring youth groups?  First, it is a power issue.  What does it say to those whom we are wanting to serve when we show up and build their houses, paint their schools, and care for their people?  We want it to say we love them and care for them?  But might it taken to say that they cannot do it themselves?  That they need us to do it for them?
As Tony Campolo says:

“These well-meaning young people may actually have contributed to dis-empowering the very people they wanted to help by leaving them with a sense that outsiders are the only ones who can meet their needs or solve their problems.”

Second, our service, whether we think so or not is often based on our needs, not theirs.  We want to do something hands on, something life changing and meaningful, and so we approach our “partners” and ask them to provide such an experience.  They end up having to do all kinds of work to serve those who are coming over to serve, as well as having to come up with “make work” projects.  The result is the many unused buildings littering the developing world, the work that has to be torn down after the group has left, and the many indigenous workers who have to watch as well meaning “foreigners” take their jobs.

So what are we to do?  It is a great experience for our youth to encounter a world outside of themselves, to see how the majority of the world lives.  The first thing we can do is be honest.  Let us not sell these trips to our youth saying that they are going to make a difference.  This trip is about them, about the youth who are going, about changing there world view and perceptions.  Let’s name it for what it is: “religious tourism”, and remove the false idea that it is about those we are going to “serve”.

Second, reverse the power structure.  Go with the idea of learning from the indigenous people, they will be the teachers, sit at their feet, learn about their culture.  Hear from them what they truly need.  These two suggestions are just the beginning, the first step, to re-imagining missions.  We need to step back and take a hard look at how our churches engage in issues of global justice on the whole.  Are we making a difference? Are we doing more harm then good?  But they are a start.  If you are interested in looking at this issue a bit more check out:

• Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those they Help (and How to Reverse it) by Robert D. Lupton
• Check out this interview on CBC radio’s show Q with Daniela Papi
• Check out this article by Joann Van Engen called “The Cost of Short-Term Missions”
• Here is a bit of a debate over the issue at Christianity Today.