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BRIGHT: Youth have much to offer the church and community

THE 21ST century church is currently home to some of the brightest and most intelligent young people that have ever walked this earth. They are privy to information and an education that the Windrush generation could only dream of and that is why it is beholden upon 21st century church leaders to ensure that they properly nurture, train and equip youth and young adults in their congregations.

If they don’t, then they are likely to leave the church in far greater numbers than the previous generation did.

When I think about my younger years in the church, and that of my contemporaries, I believe churches could have done more to harness the intelligence, spiritual zeal, physical energy and desire to make a difference in the church and contribute to wider society that we possessed. Instead, many churches seemed content for us to sing in the choir and attend the countless services that made-up an annual church calendar.

While we were encouraged to share the gospel, more effort could have been made to incorporate young adults fully into the life of the church beyond that of the more minor roles such as serving as youth leaders or choir members.

Plus, more could have been done to provide better foundational teaching about our faith and its history. Should we really have to go Bible school to get a broader understanding of Christianity? We can’t allow this to happen with today’s millennials.

Churches must make it their duty to find ways to fully utilise their skills and talents to help to spread the Gospel message and fulfil their life’s purpose.

Leaders must listen to the young, take note of their views of doing church in the 21st century and fully engage them in the life of faith and provide training where necessary.

It is good to see that more churches seem to be embracing the youth and incorporating them into every aspect of church life.

We live in a fantastic age, especially with the range of technology and social media platforms available, enabling individuals to reach the four corners of the world via computer, tablet or smartphone. It is therefore beholden upon the church to fully utilise the skills and talents of our youth, so that they get the experience and are fully equipped to take the church forward, and spreading the Gospel with all the tools available.

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