By Brandon Westgate … The more I work with young people, the more impressed I become with their desire to know God. Many are trying to figure out how God fits in their lives, and how that translates to their involvement in the local church. As I dialogue with older adults in local churches, I am also impressed that they acknowledge the challenges of being a young person today. They tell me how they pray for the youth and how they desire for our young people to grow in their walk with God. Yet, I have noticed that the ones who are the most encouraging and supportive of our youth can sometimes say things that, while on the surface can sound helpful, are in fact, not so helpful.

One of those statements is, “The youth are the future of our church.” While this statement seems super supportive of our young people, often the youth do not hear what I am sure the well-intentioned speaker intended. You see, when you say that the youth are “the future…” what our youth sometimes hear is that you see them, but they are not important right now. They may feel seen in the present, but they do not feel presently engaged, because as was said, they are the future. So, what they are hearing you say to them is:

“Hey, we see you, but you are not important yet.”

“We see you, but we are not going to mentor you right now.”

“We want to give you a shout-out, but we are not ready to give you a seat at the table.”

Yes, I know that is not what they intend to say, but that is often what is heard.

The other negative about using this particular statement is that it can have a pacifying effect on the corporate church. When the church body hears, “The youth are the future…” it can cause the brethren to think, “The youth are here, and at some future point in time, we will need to engage them.” This is perhaps one of the culprits in the loss of our youth in local church settings. When youth are present, that is the time to engage them, mentor them, equip them, and empower them. If we do not do these things, the youth will find somewhere else to go where someone will invest in their lives. So, what does that look like?

Engaging a young person can look like taking an intentional few minutes every time you see them and engaging them in conversation. Build that relationship by engaging with them outside of the church as well. Get to know them and their friends. As that friendship develops, mentor them into a church ministry position, or connect them with another person who can mentor them into a ministry position. Equip them with the information and encouragement they need to do the particular ministry in which they have an interest. Empower them by acknowledging their ministry and its impact in your church. Give them a seat at the church board where they can have a voice and a vote (By the way, If you think that your board meetings are no place for a young person to be, then I would strongly suggest that you reconsider the format of your board meetings!). Let them plan and execute the worship service. Encourage them to do a service project outside the walls of the church building.

The thrust of what I am trying to say is simply this: The young people in your church are the church of today. They are the present-day church. If we do not interact with them in positive ways today, they will not be part of any future church scenario because they will not continue to desire to be in a place where their presence may be acknowledged, but their skills, talents, and abilities are not being utilized. Remember, this church was started by young adults. For reference, in 1844, James White was 23 years old, Ellen White was 17 years old, and J.N. Andrews was just 15 years old!

Young people can and will accomplish amazing things if we will engage them today.

–Brandon Westgate is RMC youth director. Photo by Zac Durant on Unspash.