Christian Youth Work in the Majority World

The Reality of Youth Ministry• In many countries 60% of the population is under 25 years of age• Most people make a Christian commitment under the age of 20 • Youth culture is only a recent phenomenon in many majority world

countries (maybe in the last 5 to 15 years)• Few churches or denominations train youth workers or even have youth

departments in their denominations• Very few Bible Colleges have any programmes training youth workers - youth and young adults have a low place in society - lack of understanding of youth culture - lack of resources and adequate training programmes• Young people between the ages of 16 to 25 are leaving the church in large

numbers because church (and therefore God) is becoming irrelevant to them

• Churches are struggling to connect with or understand young people and youth culture outside the church doors

Youth Culture (What does it look like?)

• Relational (friends before family)• Questioning (what is real)• Seeking after Truth and reality• Experiential• Access to information• Consumerism and affluence• Participation in sport• Hope for the future• Secular supremacy• Self navigation• Lack of trust in institutions

Impact of Global Youth Culture(On youth from the majority world)

• Influence of media and music• Power of knowledge that older generations do not have• Connected to the world (other cultures, views and religions)• Practical outworking of beliefs is central to faith• Finding a voice that has been denied to them• Finding freedom in expressing themselves• Creating a new youth culture inside a larger culture• Living with uncertainty• Justice is a strong priority• Short-term view of life

Christian Faith and Youth Culture

• Denominations are becoming less important• Style and structure of experiencing faith is now diverse • Faith within a community is increasing in importance • Faith is developed through experience more than through

intellectual learning• Younger generations need to see an holistic faith in action

otherwise they feel hypocritical (faith without works)• Creating God’s kingdom here on earth as well as heaven • Inclusive rather than exclusive faith• Interactive and relational faith

Why Youth Work is not making it now?• Adults sees youth ministry through their traditional lenses and don't have the

ability to understand the new face of youth in their communities• No one takes time to really instruct the inexperienced how to work with young

people and lead a youth ministry• Young people think that you become active in church when you are mature and

ready to be serious about life • Youth work often looks like adult church. Many young people are struggling with

the way the faith of their parents is being expressed and outworked and they want something different. They want a faith with action

• Many churches see global youth culture as a threat or evil without taking the time to understand and connect with it

• Young people want the chance to discuss the struggles, inequities and reality of the Christian faith in action.

Why we need trained Youth Leaders

• Young people are a totally different culture to adults• Young people are becoming an unreached people group• Young people are influenced in life differently than adults and the choices

and decision making processes of young people is very different • Young people see their faith as a journey and a process and therefore

they need people who can walk alongside them• Young people change because of experiencing faith in action rather than

just because of teaching and expectations• Young people have intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual needs

and ministry to them must help meet each of these needs• Young people respond to people who are able to enter their world and

understand their needs, issues and ways of thinking

What needs to happen?• It may take organisations outside the church to develop youth

ministry before churches recognise the need• Recognise that youth are a separate culture and this will

change the way churches work with youth• Teach church leadership about youth culture (how to work

with it, what is good and bad, language, decision making)• Have youth ministry papers available in Bible Colleges for

people to take as part of their pastoral training• Run basic youth training seminars for youth leaders • Find people to teach youth ministry that are experienced in

youth work and can relate to young people • Allow youth groups to run themselves (let go of control)• Access information about youth training programmes done by

distance (i.e.: www.youthtrain.com)

A Work Of

www.youthmesh.org