There are changes that need to be addressed in youth ministry. I love author Mike King's statement: “Reformed, always reforming should be our mindset.” (30)
Here are some of his suggestions....
· Younger evangelicals want to reexamine what being a follower of Jesus and what being a church is all about.
· Succession of faith and rites of passage should be reestablished in the church.
· Traditions should be reestablished, as youth today are expressing fascination with things like traditions, creeds, and practices of the early church. Explore prayer practices, lectio divina, historic creeds, and liturgy.
· Consider not segregating the church by age. Allow older church members to model to the high school students. This is how we can fulfill the biblical model of younger men and women learning from older men and women.
· Conversion is not a one-stop experience. Decisionism (how someone becomes a Christian) can be replaced with responding in obedience to the call of Jesus, to become a follower of Jesus, allowing students the space and time to understand what this life-changing decision means.
· "We must move away from premature and manipulated decision-making and instead create environments that allow for time and space, where youth are repeatedly ushered into the presence of God. "We must allow transformation to come by the Holy Spirit instead of by gimmickry, tricks and manipulation.” (37)
· And we should consider moving away from ‘hand-raising’ invitations and instead Mike King shares, “I'm focused on allowing young people to see what being a follower of Jesus is all about and trusting the Holy Spirit to transform them when the time is right. Allowing youth to belong in our communities without pressuring them results in authentic decisions to follow Jesus.”(37)
Here are some of his suggestions....
· Younger evangelicals want to reexamine what being a follower of Jesus and what being a church is all about.
· Succession of faith and rites of passage should be reestablished in the church.
· Traditions should be reestablished, as youth today are expressing fascination with things like traditions, creeds, and practices of the early church. Explore prayer practices, lectio divina, historic creeds, and liturgy.
· Consider not segregating the church by age. Allow older church members to model to the high school students. This is how we can fulfill the biblical model of younger men and women learning from older men and women.
· Conversion is not a one-stop experience. Decisionism (how someone becomes a Christian) can be replaced with responding in obedience to the call of Jesus, to become a follower of Jesus, allowing students the space and time to understand what this life-changing decision means.
· "We must move away from premature and manipulated decision-making and instead create environments that allow for time and space, where youth are repeatedly ushered into the presence of God. "We must allow transformation to come by the Holy Spirit instead of by gimmickry, tricks and manipulation.” (37)
· And we should consider moving away from ‘hand-raising’ invitations and instead Mike King shares, “I'm focused on allowing young people to see what being a follower of Jesus is all about and trusting the Holy Spirit to transform them when the time is right. Allowing youth to belong in our communities without pressuring them results in authentic decisions to follow Jesus.”(37)
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