There was far too much information to absorb in one sitting (you can read the live blog of the day for yourself at www.ywslive.com) but I want to share one particular finding with you. From her comprehensive research of American teenagers, six variables mattered if young people’s faith was going to survive high school. The most important of all, the one variable which seemed to matter over and above all the others, was religious experience. The chances are that if a young person has some form of religious experience at some point during their teenage years (the most significant of these being making a personal commitment, witnessing a miracle, experiencing an answer to prayer, or having a moving experience in worship) their faith will stand the test of time.
This may not come as a surprise to many of us. If you ask your young people about the most significant moment in their faith journey to date, or when the whole ‘Christian’ thing really hit home for them (if it has) – it’s likely that they will say it was when they experienced God in some way, or an answer to prayer. This may be true for us too. I can still remember the exact point when I became a Christian at a summer camp aged 15, when the head knowledge I had about God landed in my heart.
The question then is: how often do we give young people the chance to experience God for themselves in the day-to-day and week-to-week of our youth ministry? Are the elements of religious experience listed above – the chance to make a personal commitment, prayer, worship, and miracles – central to our youth group sessions?
It can be tempting to leave opportunities or moments like this to the big events during the summer – where expectations are high and where the ‘experts’ are in charge. But, as Mike Pilavachi says in ‘The Third Person’, our local youth groups can be places of encounter too. He provides some practical points (which are elaborated on by the Soul Survivor team in this month’s meeting guides) for studying and experiencing the Holy Spirit before you head off to a week away or festival.
At the same time – we mustn’t elevate the experience of God over the experience of God. At all times we want to be led into a deeper relationship with God through these encounters, and to look, sound and act more like Christ as a consequence. We must always aim for more than just a dramatic looking experience, but rather a dramatic life transformation – and encourage our young people to seek the same.
So as it’s July and the festivals are fast approaching – why not look into this experience culture with your young people? Why not create opportunities for your young people to seek God and see how he might want to meet with them? Because these moments might just be the foundation of a faith that lasts a lifetime.
THIS MONTH ...Phoebe would absolutely love you to fill out the Premier Youthwork reader’s survey, which you may have already binned (it’s inserted into this magazine). We really want to make a magazine that you love and that equips you for the work that you do - but can’t do that if we don’t know what you need! Please tell us. Please help us to make a magazine that serves you well. You can either fill out the paper form that came with you magazine and send it back to us, or complete it online at www.premieryouthwork.com/survey - all completed forms will be entered into our prize draw for a free Premier Youthwork subscription and a bundle of youth work goodies!
