THE PROJECT
When I sat down with Iain Bruce, the director of Youth for Christ in Rugby, to ask him what new initiatives he has been using to reach young people, his answer surprised me: ‘My goal is not primarily to think about the newest and best way to connect with young people; my constant drive is to build relationships that will last.’
Obviously this impassioned director of 19 years is always open to new approaches but in his experience the most important thing is ‘stickability’. Ever since he discovered that his passion was youth work, he has sought to develop relationships with young people across Rugby. Iain, the first and only YFC director in Rugby so far, says that ‘festivals are great, and the latest buzz that comes along always affects the numbers we reach, but sticking with those young people for the long haul is what matters.’
So when I ask him how to do effective youth work, his reply is simple: build a team of people who are prepared to network through building authentic committed relationships. Sometimes it must be hard, I think, to be committed to the same assemblies, clubs and lessons every week – to not get bored after 19 years, but Iain is convinced that making a lasting difference requires consistency.
The more we talk, the more I can see the reasoning: living in an instant culture that constantly looks for the latest fix, surrounded by family breakdowns and the media’s portrayal of relationships - Iain and his team are modelling a Jesus who will never leave young people’s sides, through good times and bad.
God is amazing in the midst of this faithfulness. Iain refers to a powerful moment when suddenly, after conducting year 10 RE lessons for many months, the Spirit of God came. ‘We were just doing our usual lesson plan’ he explained, ‘we had prayed as we always do, gone in to deliver it, but half way through we were stopped in our tracks. Two girls had a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit in the school classroom in the middle of the day. Amazing! For us it was just another day of youth work, we didn’t plan for that to happen, but Jesus chose to use that moment to meet with those girls.’ This is what Iain and the six strong team are committed to; not just seeing God move tangibly but providing opportunities and safe environments for this to happen.
Rugby YFC takes this approach into every senior school and 24 junior schools at different times throughout the year. Again Iain refers to the importance of building relationships. ‘Being able to work in this many schools didn’t just happen overnight,’ he says, ‘it took a long time to earn people’s trust.’ It took nearly eight years for the church ministers to accept Iain and the team, and now there is a trust that has opened doors right across the area. He is also passionate that if you are called to youth work, then stick with it – even when you get older! He cannot understand why so many youth workers begin their thinking with ‘well I will do this for now and then I will be a pastor when I grow up.’ Iain’s look is fixed and his passion clear: ‘Anne if we truly love young people, then we have to stick by them.’ How challenging!
Where does this all begin, I wonder? Well in the majority of cases RYFC’s first connection with the young people starts in schools with lessons and assemblies. Then many of these young people go to the after school clubs and Tuesday evening club and connect more with the leaders. Interestingly only a fraction of these young people end up in church. It seems that the majority of kids don’t feel like church is a place they can ‘fit’ – particularly ones from more challenging backgrounds who would push the boundaries. Iain is primarily committed to taking the message of Jesus out to the young people, whoever and wherever they are from, rather than worrying about whether they are in the pew on a Sunday. ‘We have to start somewhere’, he says.
Iain’s most powerful tool for doing effective youth work? It is realising that there is power in the plod. Keep building relationships and showing young people that they matter. A motto that is challenging but clearly rewarding.
To discuss with your team:
• If your name was raised in conversation with a couple of young people that you had invested time and energy in, what would they say about you? Andy, director of Youth and Community work at Moorlands Bible College, says of Iain: ‘Iain loves Jesus and believes in people. Some of my worst messages were preached under his care, but all I got was encouragement and loving challenge to keep growing. Fast forward 15 years and I bet a number of strong leaders will point to Iain’s investment, saying he believed them into the strong men and women they have become. I will be one of them.’
• Have there been times when you know you have given up on a relationship with a young person?
• Perhaps it’s time to ask God to break your heart for them again and to give you the strength to respond.
