I’m sure you can all recall the moment you gave your life to Christ – that defining moment when you said “YES!” I can. I’m also pretty sure your journey up to this point hasn’t been simple. Mine hasn’t either. No one has a ‘simple’ journey of faith, and to be honest, I’m not sure why anyone would want one. So why do people expect that discipling young people should be an easy task?
The crucial thing to remember is that no two young peoples’ spiritual backgrounds will be the same. We’re not trying to disciple clones here. We’re trying to disciple individual young adults. Young people don’t get a dumbed-down version of Christ; they get the Holy-Spirit-with-sprinkles-on-top. The whole shebang, just like me and you. So we’ve got to stop trying to force them into the same dumbed-down discipleship pigeon hole.
It’s so important that we recognise that each individual is at a different stage in their journey of faith. Leaders tend to aim their youth sessions in the direction of the majority – but if the majority of the youth group are from church families, where does that leave those who aren’t in the majority? Where does that leave those who grew up in faith-less households, or households of other faiths? Likewise, if leaders tailor their sessions for those just starting out on their journeys of faith, where does that leave those from Christian backgrounds? Unaccounted for, that’s where.
The issue is, if you are not helping to disciple them at the right level for them at the right time, then they will get bored and drop away from your youth group. Becoming a disciple of Christ is a massive, life altering decision, which young people begin journeying towards the minute they set foot into your group. Young people don’t turn up to a church-based group unless they foresee something changing for themselves as a result. If nothing is changing for them, why should they stay? Literally, what is the point?
In Colossians (I love Colossians – it’s just an absolute gem of a book), Paul outlines a number of factors and characteristics for successful discipleship, including being prayerful, acting servant-heartedly, following the will of God, being comforting, seizing opportunity, and being encouraging. If you can’t say that your approach to the discipleship of your young people includes those factors, it might be time to have another think.
It would be so easy for me to tell you what you should be doing, and not offer any practical suggestions for how that might play out in real life. Well, fear not! Here are some practical suggestions for altering your approach:
PRAY
Pray! Honestly, I want to shout this from the mountains for all to hear. Don’t do anything until you’ve spent some time with God and prayed over your young people and asked for his guidance – God will lead you in the direction he wants.
ENGAGE AT THE RIGHT LEVEL
Split into smaller groups within your youth group to tackle different aspects of the same issue. For example, when tackling a bible verse, splitting off into groups based on their level of understanding will help them to engage at the appropriate level.
GET TO KNOW THEM
This one is time consuming, but beyond worthwhile. Arrange one to ones with your young people. This is easier said than done, especially when your youth group is very large. In the cases of large youth groups, meeting with three or four young people at a time for coffee could make all the difference. Taking the time to pray with them at the end for specific issues they’re facing is really important. And if they’re confident enough, encourage them to pray for one another!
SHARE THE LOVE
A fundamental part of the Christian faith is showing the love of God to others, and if your youth group isn’t actively trying to serve the community in any way, then you are limiting your young people’s understanding of what that means. Take an evening to cook homemade soup together and take it to a homeless shelter – young people serving others in the community is what gives me hope for the future of the church because the basic principal of showing God’s love to others is being embodied, right there in front of me.
JOIN THE ARMY OF CHRIST
It’s so easy to forget that youth groups are part of the church family as a whole, and sometimes young people themselves feel that they don’t belong. That’s not okay. Young people are a vital part of the church because they are the future. Taking time to involve them with the rest of the congregation is a vital part of discipleship. Maybe they could volunteer to help with the children’s groups, the music group, the AV desk, or the coffee rota every so often? One of the most exciting aspects of becoming a disciple of Christ is the knowledge that there is a whole army of others living for Christ, and that encouragement can be absolutely invaluable.
There we have it. Five suggestions for how to disciple-ify your approach to youth work. And if you only take one thing away from this blog post, please let it be this: your young people are amazing and unique. They don’t get a dumbed down version of faith, so they shouldn’t have a pigeon-hole version of discipleship.
Hannah Watson is a student, currently studies at the University of Reading
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