Growing Young People in Church
The title of two great evenings led by Andy Castle & Ruth Hassall of cpas. Asking some key questions as we consider how we grow young people.
Psalm 48: 12-14
Circle Zion, take her measure,
count her fortress peaks,
Gaze long at her sloping bulwark,
climb her citadel heights-
Then you can tell the next generation
detail by detail the story of God,
Our God forever,
who guides us till the end of time.
How do we not only talk about God, but get to experience him?
This and other key questions were posed in two evenings during November. It linked so strngly into the Going for Growth strategy which has come from the National Board of Education.
We were asked what are we presenting about God - are we portraying to young people a God worthy of belief? Why ask that, because research tells us that young people as young as 10 and 11 are deciding that they know as much about God as they need to, and that they can see no relevance in finding out more! They also identified that the image of God is of a Therapeutic God, who makes things better. So how do we show a God worthy of belief that they don't outgrow? Encouraging us to put down markers, to show the journey so far.
Andy & Ruth did challenge, but they also encouraged. They helped us recognise that we need to start with the young people we are in contact with. That we need to get alongside each young person and journey with them, share something of ourselves as we go along. Are we prepared to mentor/accompany young people who we are alongside?
Finally they helped us think about the fact that young people have a role to play; that we need to utilise their energy and gifts. Reminding us that young people will always rise to meet the challenge set them. Adolescence is a key time of talent formation, even by our 20's talents are largely set and, whilst we can learn new skills it takes much longer and research shows we never quite reach the potential if we had started in those earlier years. So we need to give young people opportunity to grow their gifts, and be deliberate in these things.
The challenges are there, and significant, but we have a hope for the future.
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Short links
http://www.albandys.org.uk/go/growing_young_people_in_church
http://www.albandys.org.uk/go/825