Convention Presentation

We read in Judges chapter 2 about the death of Joshua and subsequently the passing of those who served under his leadership. We suddenly come to a profound statement in verse 10. “There arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work he had done for Israel”

Did you know that more than one third of the millennial generation is not affiliated with any religion at all? Millennials refers predominantly to those who are currently college age or in their twenties.

Are you aware that, according to Pew Research and the Barna group, youth and young adults are the most unreached age segments of our population? The largest unreached people group in the world right now are preteens, teens, and twenties! Think about that for a moment.  The largest mission field is no longer Africa, Asia, or South America – it’s young people!

We have a generation that has arisen where vast numbers do not know the Lord or the things he has done!

Chap Clark, professor at Fuller Seminary and head of the Fuller Youth Institute describes the current generation of adolescents as hurting… and suggests that the defining issue is systemic abandonment. And this generation is trying to grow up in the most confusing world we could imagine. It’s a world where truth is up for grabs, honesty is a notion from the past, and integrity is a foreign concept. Things once considered wrong are now admired and even celebrated. Further, it’s a world where relationships are more virtual than real, leaving a hunger for more and a profound sense of abandonment.

What are we doing in our churches to connect with this abandoned and unreached generation? Some of our churches have thriving youth ministries and others don’t see many at all in their congregations. Yet all of our communities have unreached teens!

The DYM is seeking to make young Biblical Anglicans for a global age by:

Proclaiming the Gospel, Teaching the word of God, building partnerships, and training leaders.

Focus for a moment on the first two.  These are where our diocesan youth events really excel. Everyone needs good news! The proclamation of the gospel is not only essential it is timely. The gospel introduces young people to a God who will not abandon them! Youth ministry is in many ways the front lines of battle for the souls of men and women. 85% of people who make a decision for Christ do so by the age of 18. That makes youth ministry a ripe harvest field… A huge opportunity!

Teaching scriptures is equally essential and timely. This generation of young people wants something they can believe in. They are not looking for programs or institutions. They seek people who will share Jesus with them and walk with them into a faith that is authentic and transforms lives. A recent study by The American Bible Society revealed that among teens who attend church at least once a month, 96% of them want to read the Bible more often.  Did you hear that?  96% of teens who are at least loosely involved in the church want to read the Bible more often. Another huge opportunity!

What today’s teens and young adults need most are deep and significant relationships with people from other generations.  Think relationships not programs! Today’s teens have been entertained to death. They have more programs available to them than any generation before. They hunger for real relationships, a sense of belonging, and for truth. What we need to do is reach out, care for them, and open the Bible together.  Listen carefully to what Luke has to share…

Luke’s story was recorded for an initiative called Engage. Engage is training people in diocese across North America to minister to teens. It was birthed out of the work and experience of this diocese.  We are shaping North American Anglicanism!

            Any Christian adult is capable of ministering to younger generations. We merely need to build relationships and study scripture together. If your church does not have a ministry to youth because there is only one or two teens in the church, you can change that simply by engaging those students with regular time in the Bible with another person. It’s about relationships and God’s word.

At our diocesan youth events we often weave video clips into our sessions to illustrate the ideas that we are seeking to convey.  I’d like to share one of those with you now. It’s called “Written on your heart”.

Let’s help young people write God’s words on their hearts!

On behalf of all in this diocese who are engaging in ministry with youth, I thank you for your ongoing support! Let’s engage every generation by opening the Bible together!