The 1996 South African census21 shows that 34% of South African are under the age of 15. It is extremely unhelpful to say Do this because God says so. Indeed, in such a cultural context the anthropologist Bradd Shore makes the bold claim that the developmental trajectory of the middle-class American family is about to self-destruct. Our American cultural value system of individualism answers this question with, Hell no, go, do your own thing, find your own way, be your own person, you are not obligated to anyone except yourself. In other words, disconnect, depart, leave (abandon) your family, friends, community, past traditions, and communal rituals that rooted you and gave you a sense of belonging. For modernists, the truth exists objectively; things must be explainable, we must be able to demonstrate and understand it. Given this liquid post-modernity, where else will youth hear the message of forgiveness, love, kindness, and mercy other than the family? Working together for an inclusive Europe These are pretty basic questions, but really important. If you are planning to teach this course, and would like the latest version, contact May-Ellen Colon . Because American individualism and consumerism perpetuate the devastating message do your own thing, which often means physically moving away from family, community, and consequently many traditional rituals that have shaped and formed us. How I respond is just as important as the tenet of faith itself. When effecting the change, youths should be an active part of it, reason being that the youths have been long neglected and misunderstood therefore making them a part of the program that would be to their own benefits would help build the effectiveness of such program. Quoted by A. Allan Martin in The ABCs of Ministry to Generations X, Y, & Z, available on-line: http://www.tagnet.org/dvm/ABCs.html. The HSRC recently released findings that only 1 in 30 school leavers are likely to find employment in South Africa in 199913. Nowhere. 2 Timothy 2:2 and Ephesians 4:12-16 are probably the two most clear and direct Biblical mandates for this re-formational ministry. Oh, there is another thing: I still have a Bible, which sheds divine light on the matters of life for young and old alike. In a 1997 questionnaire sent to Dutch Reformed mega-churches4, positive signs of vitality were overwhelmingly related to two issues: the involvement of laity in ministries and the existence of intentional processes of transformation taking place in their congregations. Paragraph #56 elaborates: today we have to realize that the way digital media work, and the need to choose which information sources to access amongst endless offerings, are leading people to increasingly make contact only with like-minded individuals. Many of these studies document the consequences of such separation as mostly detrimental to individual and communal well-being. They have likely never played Pac Man and Star Wars looks very fake. What are some of the greatest challenges facing church leaders right But how did traditions slip away? To reduce the increase of drug abuse in the society, the youth should be sensitized on the effects of drug abuse to their body and the society. The study of young adults focused on those who were regular churchgoers Christian church during their teen years and explored their reasons for disconnection from church life after age 15. Hendriks states that we must realise that before 1994 the state was responsible for upholding Christian values. There were laws forbidding abortion, gambling, pornography, certain activities on a Sunday, etc. Physically moving only means starting all over again. Required fields are marked *. Menu. power of grace; this is the experience of all members of the Church. Message centred evangelism emphasizes the proclamation of truth, in the hope that the repetition of the biblical message in creative ways will result in Christian living. So you modify your behaviour, temper, hurtful behaviour, then only do you go on to do things which avoid every appearance of evil, come out and be separate (inwardly at first, not necessarily outwardly as well) and avoiding things which does not cause a brother to stumble. The aims include to redefine marriage and. Cooperative Learning in the Classroom. Also see: Powers and Functions of the Three Arms of Government. This research study is to explain clearly the role of youth in the church that bring about church development.. rather than a bus stop while waiting to move on to more mature pursuits. They are capable of doing their homework with both TV and radio blaring in the background. Wendy Murray Zoba. Lets not make native Americans and Africans dress like Europeans in order to be acceptable worshippers. This strategy can work in drawing numbers, but remains faceless, and in itself is unlikely to result in a lasting impact in the life of a young person. A focus on family education, the family as a little church. The distance between us will quickly begin to thin out our relationship. It will focus on the goal of Christian mutual of youth and the essential role of . The research project was comprised of eight national studies, including interviews with teenagers, young adults, parents, youth pastors, and senior pastors. 14. Ironically, this whole process of familial, social, and spiritual disconnection and dispersion sets one on an unconscious quest for exactly what one has walked away fromfamily, parish community, tradition, ritual practices, a place to belong. In the past the church, in particular the Reformed school, has rejected the concept of self, and especially self-actualisation, and self-realisation. It is time for middle class congregations to consider their privileged position seriously in the light of the story of the rich young ruler. Violence in schools: Violence is defined by the world health organization as the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting to injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation. Soul Survivor is a church community of largely young people in Watford. The Priorities, Challenges, and Trends in Youth Ministry When listed like this, it is quickly apparent that being a disciple of Christ when you have had no previous Christian grounding or experience, is really a tall order, and a daunting prospect. And when we talk of averages, it should be noticed that the cyber-elite are all young and making lots of money on the Internet and in new IT-related growth industries. 10 CHALLENGES FACING CHRISTIAN YOUTH - jeremiahinstitute.com Before then, they always return false. The iron rod orthodoxy of the past is over. But most of us can't concisely describe it. Problems of youth and their solutions Essay. In my mind, there is no doubt, the greatest challenge to youth ministers today is time! . Youths are the fulcrum of society. Edeh Samuel Chukwuemeka ACMC, is a Law Student and a Certified Mediator/Conciliator in Nigeria. Abortion, homosexuality, poverty, capitalism, gender, sexuality, genetical engineering, affirmative action, revolution, ethnic cleansing are all old issues which will assume greater significance as the new century dawns. challenges of youth in the church today pdf - Kazuyasu Generation 21 have had a jump start while anyone currently over thirty is still playing catch up when it comes to Information Technology. 2, Page 18. http://www.christianity.net/ct/7T2/7T218a.html. So, the message might simply be: Youth, be bold, dont move. Having a significant if not more number of youths in the society could negatively impact the economic growth of the nation, and if not checked, could cause serious economic repercussions because youths who are unemployed often tend to feel left out, leading to social exclusion, lack of hope for the future and anxiety. Challenges and Lessons Learned from Mentoring. Computer presentations are the norm. Whenever a child talks about peer pressure, the parent(s) should not hesitate to take the necessary actions in other to restrict such. What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus Christ in the twenty-first century? We seek to find the self that God created and that secularisation, and modern philosophy has destroyed. What they do want to know is why they should choose Christianity rather than any other of the multitude of spiritual options available. A whole new mind set needs to be adopted if the necessary youth ministry programmes are to be adequately funded. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1994. It just takes more insight, patience and often forbearance. Many young people who become Christians who are part of the Alternative11 youth culture still continue to wear black clothes, look anorexic and have more body piercings than we are comfortable with. One of the chief characteristics of modernism was the elevation of the individual. Am blessed and inspired! An Investigation into a Current Trend in Youth Culture with a Biblical Apologetic, available on-line: http://home.pix.za/gc/gc12/papers/p2003.htm. Finally, the sense of self, so easily destroyed in Generation 21 must be restored. I am sure that we have heard the end of long scholastic debates about predestination, charismatic gifts and dispensationalism. Most people who have rejected Christianity have at least known what they were rejecting. Students who are found to posses the trait of being unable to manage their anger should be counseled on anger management and character development. I have argued before about how the parish can help in this post-modern liquid society by providing community (Mosaic, 2014). PDF YRE 103 Current Youth Issues 3.Smoking cigars. Youth work must be recognised as a profession (a vocation!) It is the context in which we will work to a greater extent as the years roll on. Why memorise when its on-line? But what is sinful about any of these elements? The church of the twenty-first century needs to be a warm, welcoming and loving family. The census results are available on-line at: http://www.statssa.gov.za/census96/HTML/default.htm. Sociologically, however, all of this is more likely to occur if youth take up the challenge and opportunity to stay put familially (moving out of ones own nuclear home but staying within the local area), communally, and ecclesially (local parish). Quoted in the Natal Mercury, front page story, 5 August 1999. Lets agree to stop debating the unimportant how many angels can fit onto the head of a pin12 and predestination fall into the same category in postmodernism. But since its beginning, a new approach has been gathering momentum, and as this century ends, it claims dominant position, not only in the intellectual corridors of power, but is pervasive throughout society in all corners of the globe. The AIDS epidemic has not begun to take its toll. Youth Discussion: Challenges Youth Face Today - itskev.com As such, it reaches out to people at the point of their need, allowing the material and physical response to bear testimony to a spiritual solution. No-one continued to sing the hymns while getting drunk. This decline is in spite of the tremendous growth of so called mega-churches in most of these denominations. They dont memorise scripture like we did in the old days.. They are in need of models, of examples in their life, not just words. At this stage the new convert isnt even sure of what his new family is like. The Cosby Show, Miami Vice, WKRP in Cincinnati and Dynasty are shows they have likely never seen. So why a crash course in postmodernism? 18. 3. These form of violence could happen anywhere ranging from the school environment, school sponsored events and outside the school premises. Specialist service agencies, existing solely for the purpose of pursuing youth evangelism objectives, are notoriously underfunded. A serious debate of thirteenth century Scholasticism. 17. The usual metaphors used in understanding the character of God may no longer be accessible to Generation 21. Challenges Facing South African Baptist Youth Ministry in the 21st Century A Crash Course in Post Modernism It's all around us. A shocked look crossed her face, as she exclaimed: Thats not in the Bible. New York: Vintage, 1993. Postmodern young people dont need to be convinced of the fact that there is a higher power nor of the existence of the supernatural. 6. Forgetting, as it turns out, hurts (OMalley, 2018, Antiphon 22.2, p. 127). Matt Redman is the worship leader and Gerald Coates is a sponsor of the movement. The document formulates this situation: superficial use of digital media exposes people to the risk of isolation, that can even become extreme: this situation is known under the Japanese term hididomori and is affecting a growing number of young people in many countries, especially in Asia. It is not going to change. Boomers sought relational breadth; [Generation 21] seek relational depthWhat emerges are two generations bonded by blood, but separated by emotion and expectation.. Of all the fears South African young people have for the present, AIDS ranks by far the highest3. Peel it back and theres just marshmallows! So says a Scripture Union Youth Worker. Notice: Function is_feed was called incorrectly.Conditional query tags do not work before the query is run. Long hair doesnt have to become short and kempt; T-shirts dont have to transform into ties; studded ripped jeans surely dont have to metamorphose into smart Woolworths cotton trousers. The Importance of Youth Ministry in Today's Church | GCU Blogs The Disillusioned Generation. This is largely due to over-reaction of many traditional Christians to new expressions of faith and culture. It is also clear that young people are more open to the Gospel than adults. As the document states, several non-Western Bishop Conferences are wondering how they can accompany young people in dealing with this cultural change that is unravelling traditional cultures rich in solidarity, communal ties and spirituality, feeling they do not have adequate tools (p.11). Giving to churches and mission agencies totalled R900 million during the 1996/97 financial year, of which R65 million, or just 7%, was allocated to youth ministry22. St. Rita Catholic Church. As a church we can easily and must resolutely rise to the challenge. Churches routinely dole out their scraps to youth ministry, although there are some notable exceptions. In 1998, Bill Price and Associates completed a Profile of South African Youth and Family, using a statistical base of over 3,000 South African young people between the ages of 13 and 27. If we want to be salt and light we must be prepared to reopen debates and find answers that truly resonate with a world in need. Methods like Groomes7 shared Christian praxis and Cooperative Learning8 are the way of the future. The result is broken marriages, broken politics, broken cities, a broken culture, and broken human beings. Personal preference must make way for accommodation; form for worship in both Spirit and Truth. Churches simply have to work towards allocating 50% of their income to youth ministry, including youth ministry programmes outside of their local church, possibly through specialist service agencies who may have greater skills in penetrating unchurched youth in various sub cultures. My faith must stand questioning, but not having answers is OK. It must work. It was a church norm. Churches need to take up the Biblical mandate to be stewards of the environment, to be healers of the sick, defenders of those who have no rights, and helpers to the widows and orphans. 19. Time has changed the pace at which we live life has accelerated terrifically. On a personal positive note, while the members of my local assembly in Liverpool, UK have not met physically since 22 . At churches where youth ministry attendance is one to 10 students, pastors are more likely than average to say youth ministry is somewhat (42%) or not too much of a priority (7%). They dont know the difference between a tenet from the Bible and a sonnet from Shakespeare. However, given their cynicism and pessimism, they have lowered their expectations vis-a-vis relationships: their potential duration, the number of significant bonds, and their fervor to create a wide pool of contacts. And them this neighbour takes two forms: the rest of the Christian family and others generally. 2023, Bscholarly LLC. Jet airlines? Alternative youth culture is a counter-culture, which rejects mainstream trends, and is characterised by (amongst others) a music style that is neither rock nor metal but has a mixture of both elements with a melancholic and dark dress style. 9. Why? We crossed cultural boundaries to take the gospel to unreached people groups. He is calling for a new re-formation of praxis. How does one live with non-Christian parents? Church Leaders Are Discouraged by Division in the Church. However, it still has got its acceptable explanation. With an estimated 17 million South Africans below the age of 18, any serious attempt to launch youth ministry programmes must address itself to the vast numerical challenges: How many youth workers do we need in South Africa? rather than the more parochial Where can we find a youth worker for our church? SAQA (the South African Qualifications Authority) has already begun setting up guidelines for minimum qualifications for various industries, including youth work. The world is different twelve year olds today earn cash in their spare time, hang out with friends, play computer games, go to the movies, the mall, Imax, Ratanga Junction and play Sony Playstation games. Ministry In A New Dispensation. #2. 1. Practical Theology & Missiology Department, University of Stellenbosch, available on-line: http://home.pix.za/gc/gc12/papers/p1008.htm. The 1991 figure is 74.5%. Challenges and Lessons Learned from Mentoring | Youth.gov For Generation 21 outward appearance is not going to be a measure of spirituality. 1.Honouring your non-Christian parents: Having a hard time at home because of your faith? We therefore offer some answers to the issues we have raised. Do I have obligations to the family, community, or parish where I have spent my life up until this point? Bauman, in other words, interprets the present cultural context as a sociological and cultural liquefaction where it is now the facility with which things can be turned upside down, disposed of and abandoned that is valued most . The disciples faced challenges that we cannot relate to today. An Accepting and Nurturing Environment. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990. "Sexual and financial scandals; a clergy ill-prepared to engage effectively with the young; the passive role assigned to the young within the Christian community; the Church's difficulty in explaining her doctrine and ethical positions to the society can understandably discourage the youth." If the churchs role is to spread the Gospel, using limited resources, then it makes the most sense to maximize those resources by using them where they are most likely to be effective: that is, in youth ministry, or on things that affect young people. PDF The 12/25 Challenge Reaching the Youth Generation - Lausanne Movement The rules have changed big business and government are no longer the employers of last resort. Postmodernism is a reaction to modernism 1. More opportunities to participate the Political and social scene: The youths of today need real opportunities to function in the area of politics and contribute massively and practically to practical solutions. What are the challenges facing the youth today? They have never owned a record player. What one consistently notices is that while it takes different strategies to reach different kids (unchurched, churched, urban , rural, leaders, followers etc), most of them can be reached if one person whom they trust builds tight community (close relationships) with them. Its all around us. Why do we do it then? Downers Grove: IVP, 1995. This is not entirely true, as they are able to concentrate for much longer than many adults but they cannot focus on one topic for very long. But most of us cant concisely describe it. One of the problems of youth work in general and South African youth work in particular is that statistics of these sort are not available. Thus, the greatest commandment is reborn in our churches. Not so on the eve of the third millennium how much more so for Generation 21? Challenges in Youth Ministry | youthESource This discussion will help show that even though the challenges we face are different from back then, we still have pressing challenges to face and we need to be willing to overcome them by any means necessary. It has declined since then. April 27, 2020. They're divided about masks. are there any other types of planes? The paper was a collaboration between Dr Sharlene Swartz (read her bio at LinkedIn or in her current position as HSRC researcher) and Dr Graeme Codrington. Your email address will not be published. However, more and more young people are being drawn into the web of violent crime, as both perpetrators and victims. Every culture needs to be impacted and penetrated by the gospel. She is not alone. We say easily not because it will be without difficulty but rather because the solutions are pretty basic and will take little more than intentional effort, conscious understanding and a willingness to adapt. They dont remember who Botha is neither Naas or PW. Faith development skills are about making faith work, answering questions, helping young people understand why Gods word says what it says, and how to apply the obvious and work out the implied. Culture is after all only culture we must recognise this fact if we are to incarnate Christ. On the other hand, why should one spend time memorising, when hand held computers contain easy-reference word-search Bible concordances in a multitude of versions. The Bible is not directive and/or silent on may of the social and ethical issues with which we are confronted today. Local authorities endorsed these laws. Specifically, he believed physically moving away from ones tribe was a laceration to the social bodymoving leaves the communal body bleeding. What about the next 24 hours?. God has created each one of us as unique and special individuals, with a unique and special purpose, this is what makes up our self, and it is this that we seek to discover in Christian self-actualisation and self-realisation. Simply and biblically, being a disciple means starting a vertical relationship with God, a transaction between two people alone: God and his child. The writers recommend: J.R. Middleton & B.J. God does not exist until proven otherwise could be a foundational principle for its atheists, although Christianity too flourished in the modernist milieu. There are a number of excellent introductions to postmodernism from a Christian perspective. We say Love God, bear fruit in keeping with your new relationship with God (Christian character development and personal growth), forget all else.. Challenges Facing Youths Today and Solutions: When it comes to who a youth is, there is no universally agreed definition and age rate of who a youth is. Culture can and must be retained in a Christian lifestyle. Your email address will not be published. Individuality in the midst of community will be paramount in worship. . 4 Challenges Facing Youths Today and Solutions - Bscholarly So more than merely relational evangelism the nature of our nurture and the warmth and acceptance of the nurturing environment is of paramount importance to both evangelism and discipleship of Generation 21. We now have Outcomes Based Education, continuous assessment, interactive teaching and learning, more stimulation than ever before, more things to do, to read, to watch, to experience. Moreover, in physically leaving family and parish to sink temporary roots somewhere else, often far away, sociologists have found that ones familial and communal narratives or stories slowly fade as well. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Challenges and Opportunities for Youth in the Church Today Individual church members with business influence should seek ways to channel funds into community youth ministry programmes. The answer is twofold. Programme centred evangelism will focus on the production of quality programmes with the intention of drawing large crowds of young people. Share with them these 10 Challenges for the Church of the Twenty-First Century. In the nineteenth century there was a golden age of mission as new frontiers were opened, difficult languages learnt and Scriptures translated. I like this article because it is well researched and straight on point. It is a developmental trajectory filled with social ritual practices of detachment, disengagement, separation, and isolation. In this book, he argues that the last Reformation (which helped usher modernism into the church) was a re-formation of theology. A Primer on Postmodernism. Christian alternative kids tend to clean up their act in terms of drugs, music, partying, anarchy, degradation, escapism, alcohol-abuse, occult involvement, rebellion, anti-social behaviours, anti-authoritarianism, hatred, defiance, misery, self-pity, terror, selfishness, suicidal tendencies, depression, destruction and condemnation. Its not enough to give good talks, or organize elaborate programmes. Challenges of The 21st Century Christian Youths and The Way Out Thats why drugging, New Age, experience, smart drugs, raving, identity in music, experiential learning are currently in vogue, at the close of the twentieth century. D. Johncon, R. Johnson & E. Holubec. Its that stage in life when one is filled with vigor, freshness, good appearance, agility etc. Youth could be defined as the time or stage in life when a person is young which is usually between the time of childhood and adulthood (which could be said to be maturity). A place of nurture and not of judgment or of insistence of outward conformity. There is a cost to be born to meet the challenge of ushering Generation 21 into the kingdom. Being a youth is an experience which would shape the persons level of understanding to life and his or her level of dependency on others. Sociology has something to say to youth in that sociology is not merely a descriptive enterprise but also a highly political one in that it diagnoses and suggests correctives to the ills of society, primarily the loss of social cohesion or community and the multitude of forces that threaten to disintegrate the very possibility of the social or ecclesial.. Since the outbreak of the pandemicmore than ever beforeinternet-mediated technology now defines how people engage for good or for ill. Modernism is basically the world view which drew the line between science and religion, faith and superstition, truth and veracity. More details available at: http://www.youth.co.za/census. Chicago: Northfield Publishing, 1994. They have always had an answering machine. So what does it mean? It is this meaning and function that the church is rejecting, but unfortunately they have rejected the whole concept with their rejection of the way non-Christians use it. Instead methods need to be innovative, short and interactive. Church was never meant to be a showcase for saints rather it is a hospital for hopeless sinners. The article is stimulating and very useful for christian leaders. Instead, liquid modernity is the collapse of all narrative except for the angst-ridden individual, constructing the broken pieces of an identity from a series of fragmented memories.