journeys-page

I was recently at a training for family ministry leaders of the Great Plains Conference of the UMC. During a session on intergenerational ministry, a woman in her 70s who had been working with youth for many years reminded us, “The children and youth are NOT the future of the church. They are the church right now.” What an eye-opening and mindset-shifting statement! This got me thinking about how well Trinity is doing in this aspect of ministry. We provide some traditional activities, like Sunday morning Bible classes and Wednesday night small groups. These are known as “silo” ministries because they include only one congregation demographic based on age. While there are enjoyable and valuable aspects to doing things the usual way, they have unfortunately proven ineffective in keeping people engaged in the church long term. On the positive side, Trinity has successfully moved towards the intergenerational ministry. Our Sunday GIFT Events, congregational nights out, and welcoming children and youth in worship are all on the list of the “right” things to do for relationship building. Research shows that good relationships are the number one factor for young people continuing to be active in a church congregation into adulthood. If you’d like a Biblical take on this idea, read 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. It’s the passage that describes Christians as the body of Christ. Read this with children and youth in mind and pay special attention to verses 22 and 23: “The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are the ones we can’t do without. 23 We treat the parts that we think are less important with special honor.” If you grew up in church, think back to your youth. Are there people from your home church that treated you with honor? That is certainly true for me. If you did not grow up in church, think about what it would have been like to have caring adults paying special attention to you. There are more opportunities to include our young people at Trinity. I dream of confirmands being appointed to church committees, ways to involve more adults on Wednesday nights, and intergenerational classes during the Sunday GIFT hour. What are your thoughts? When you think of the children and youth as the church RIGHT NOW, what does that look like? Please let me know; I always look for new ways to “do” church! Christina Landenberger, Director of Family Ministries