Contact: Linda Green · (615) 742 - 5470 · Nashville, Tenn.
ATLANTA (UMNS) -- The United Methodist Church should not go this year without a renewed focus on youth ministry, according to some of the denomination's leaders in this field.
Meeting with the Shared Mission Focus on Young People at Simpsonwood Conference and Retreat Center in Norcross, youth ministry practitioners and representatives from both theological and undergraduate schools from around the country discussed the challenges surrounding effective ministry with youth.
The meeting, held Oct. 8-10 and facilitated by Kenda Dean of Princeton (N.J.) Theological Seminary, gave the different groups involved with youth ministry the opportunity to share and learn from each other and to connect for future ministry.
"I know that there were partnerships formed between local churches and seminaries," said Linda Bales, director of the Shared Mission Focus on Young People, with offices in Dayton, Ohio. "It is my hope those will be strong and dynamic and creative partnerships ... to work in ways to respond to young people."
Shared Mission Focus on Young People was authorized by the 1996 General Conference as a response to the United Methodist Church's effort to make young people, ages 12-30, a priority, enhance resources for them in the denomination and celebrate their achievements.
Many discussions during the weekend meeting revolved around training youth ministers, regardless of whether they are seminarians. Several United Methodist seminaries offer courses directly related to youth ministry.
At Drew Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, for example, the Rev. Lynne Westfield works to dispel the myth that people work with youth because they like them. She emphasized the importance of a calling in youth ministry.
"Youth are part of the body of Christ," she said. "That's why we work with them."
Along with course offerings, seminary students explore ministry with youth in field education assignments. At Duke Divinity School in Durham, N.C., 50 percent of students in field education are "engaged with youth in some way," said Janice Virtue, a Duke representative.
Several seminaries, including Perkins at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and Wesley Seminary in Washington, offer youth ministry certification that is available to people not enrolled in degree programs.
Another common element among many of the seminaries is programs that target youth themselves. The seminaries bring young people to campus -- some for summer class sessions, others for confirmation retreats or seminars -- to introduce them to the possibilities that theological education offers.
The group also learned about strong undergraduate programs in youth ministry offered by Oklahoma City University and Pfieffer University in Misenheimer, N.C., and other United Methodist-related schools.
Though important, seminary and undergraduate programs in youth ministry are inadequate for reaching the majority of people working with youth, said the Rev. Mike Selleck, pastor of North Springs United Methodist Church in Roswell and former North Georgia Annual Conference youth director. Youth education must be stealthy and must reach those youth workers who will never attend seminary, he said.
"Somehow we have to start another train," he said, "and it's a subversive train. I call it 'cloaked youth ministry.' "
The key to this kind of training is for seminaries to equip pastors to train laity to be youth workers, Selleck said. Though all clergy may not wish to be directly involved with youth ministry, they should have the skills to train others who are called to such work, he said.
Most United Methodist churches have fewer than 200 members and no resources for hiring trained youth workers, he noted. "Pastors need to be competent enough to train laity. It's our reality. It's what we have to do."
Soozung Sa, director of youth and family ministries at Covenant United Methodist Church in Fond du Lac, Wis., said her church hired her because she had a passion for youth ministry and did not have a seminary education. However, her benefits include a housing allowance and retirement plan similar to what a clergyperson receives, which shows Sa that her ministry is a vital and valuable part of the church.
Covenant United Methodist Church is not making Sa figure out youth ministry on her own. "There is no way I could (do what I do) without my spiritual mentor," she said, "and that is my senior pastor."
Certification programs also offer ways to train lay volunteers for ministry with youth.
The Rev. Stephen Gallaher, director of Salt & Light Ministry in Mechanicsburg, Pa., said this grassroots ministry is able to "connect with volunteers who never intend to go to seminary but need training." The Salt & Light staff offers certification programs and provides follow-up to local churches engaged in youth ministry. Staff members routinely spend up to three months in churches modeling effective youth ministry and helping the church implement it.
The Shared Mission Focus on Young People will request continuation of its mandate from the 2000 General Conference, which meets May 2-12. If continued for the next quadrennium, the group will develop a churchwide comprehensive plan for ministries with young people.
In the meantime, consultation participants identified areas in which to concentrate their energies. They will:
Editor's note: A full report from the theological consultation will be available from the Shared Mission Focus on Young People, (937) 227 9400.
October 13, 1999
*Holton is associate editor of the Wesleyan Christian Advocate, the weekly newspaper of the North and South Georgia Annual Conferences.
Produced by United Methodist News Service, official news agency of the United Methodist Church, with offices in Nashville, New York, and Washington.