We all want to see the generation we work with turn to Jesus, right?
We can all agree that their lives – and our world – would be a better place if they accepted, en masse, the transformational message of the gospel. When you strip youth ministry back to its core, that’s the hope isn’t it? Send revival Lord, start with my youth group.
In the pursuit of that grand goal, many great initiatives have been undertaken. Missions, city-wide events, books, courses, DVDs – all with their strengths, all with resulting stories of conversions and commitments. If we’re honest though, none of these things have really made the sort of dent that can start to definitively impact a generation.
The problem is that young people are different to each other. Not in a generic, everyone’sunique- but-the-samedeep- down kind of a way. Youth culture is now so fragmented that tribes are forming within tribes. What we now know about personality types and learning styles tells us that even within those mini-cultures, there will be a diversity of characters who hear and engage with us in differing ways. So when we aim something – a message, an initiative, a product - broadly at young people, we’re inevitably going to fail to connect with the majority of them.
The youth group with which I volunteer is a good illustration of this diversity – and I say that as one who lives and does youth work in a wealthy suburban area. One lad is an enthusiastic political activist; another plays competitive flat green bowls. Some of the girls plough all their energy into an anti-trafficking charity; others are musicians or actors. We have bookish kids, lads who hang around at the local skate park and girls who seem to spend their entire lives on social media. Culturally speaking, it’s the proverbial melting pot, and we’re in one of the least diverse places in Britain.
If their passions and interests are this varied (and we haven’t even got on to learning styles), then a one-size-fits-all message won’t work. For the gospel to be truly good news to a young person, it has to make sense to them, not just intellectually, but culturally. That’s why Paul did his thing with the Greek philosophers at Mars Hill; it’s also perhaps why Jesus got up close and personal with individuals, rather than simply preaching from hillsides.
When we think about evangelism and young people, we might dream of seeing big numbers - whole school classes; entire youth groups – making a decision to follow Jesus, but that’s not where we start. Evangelism is about individuals connecting with individuals. The fragmentation of youth cultures makes that even more pertinent in the teenage years. As youth workers, we follow Paul’s lead in 1 Corinthians 9:22, becoming ‘all things to all people so that by all possible means [we] might save some.’ We have to seek to understand each individual young person as we share the gospel with them; to listen to their stories, to show a willingness to engage with the things that interest and enthuse them.
None of our evangelistic efforts so far have made the sort of dent we were hoping for
This special issue of Youthwork is packed with ideas, resources and guidance to help you do that effectively. There’s wisdom from some of the UK’s most significant evangelists; an in-depth look at the theology of the gospel message itself, and a challenge to take evangelism seriously among our own age group. On the resources front, we’re very excited to present a slimmed-down version of YFC’s Art of Connecting course, plus guides to running your own evangelistic event and sharing faith in schools. And the whole issue is underpinned by these two principles: we need to share the gospel relevantly, and share it personally.
Which takes me back to Mars Hill. That passage in Acts 17 is often used to justify cultural relevance, but what does that mean when we’re talking about a generation of 10,000 sub-cultures? Simply, it means focusing on one young person at a time – whether that’s through direct evangelism, or through the young missionaries that we equip and send out into the field. We listen, we understand, we communicate. Lord send revival. Start with one kid.
