Within the body of Christ is the group of people labeled as the youngsters who has the privilege of leading the church to where it should go as the Lord desires for the years to come. For this reason, it is indeed vital that discipleship among the church’s youth group be empowered. As they are the most to be influenced by the world around them, it is but fitting that they be covered with love, guidance and protection by the church itself.
YOUTH DISCIPLESHIP IN FOCUS
Clyde Hall expressed that “the first ventures into discipleship are “tried out” in the safe environments of a small group where the youth are loved and where they are willing to risk themselves.” [2] Thus, youth discipleship should be done in and with love that they could open themselves up in love as well, knowing that it is safe to be in a discipleship group taking the risk of being known by the group that he is or would be a part of, and the accountability and blessings that come with it.
Discipling the youth is also not just about building relationships. There is a treasure that we need to pass on.[3] Inclusive of this are the truths about God and his Word, training them for leadership and discipleship, character building and helping them to have a personal vision. This treasure encompasses all that there is in discipling the youth. Thus, in discipling the youth, we need to keep in mind all of these as vital in the discipleship process of these youngsters. In this present time where relativism abounds, the youth should be taught the binding truth of God’s word. They must be discipled in the ways of Christ so they would know how to confront the issues that affect their faith and still stand on the truth.
With all the changes that come along in the lives of young people, it is necessary that they are guided into the proper understanding of events that transpire in and around them. Youth discipleship is tantamount to making them better people of God and of society, teaching them the ways and means of living a life that is pleasing to God, allowing them to be discipled just as Jesus’ disciples were.
The idea of youth discipleship is a serious matter and is a must for all churches. And when Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples, he desired that we gauge our ministerial success not by the quantity of people that we do have in our church services but by the number and the quality of the disciples that our ministries are producing.[4] For ministering with the youth is not a matter of incorporating the hype, the fads and the trends of the present pop culture[5] but a matter of helping these youngsters love God and experience him more.
In the youth departments of churches, discipling the youth is and should always be the core of its ministry.[6] It should be understood and prioritized by all youth ministries especially in this day and age that the attraction of young people to the world, Christians at that are not exempted, should be countered by an unstained and immovable belief and devotion to the one true God caused by proper discipleship faithfully executed by the body of Christ.
THE SIGNIFICANCE AND URGENCY OF YOUTH DISICPLESHIP
The views and values of the youth tremendously changed over the last couple of decades.[7] Because of economic boom in the West, lifestyles of most people were affected and had to cope with the swift and ever changing perspective of people towards the events that are transpiring around them. With these events came the changes in values and practices of the youth which can be seen in the language that they speak, the way they think and how they show their feelings and even the way that they comprehend and see life.[8] It is for these reasons that discipleship amongst young people is vital. The church has to help the youth to see life in the perspective of its Creator, to know and love Jesus more, and to walk in his ways. It is the task therefore of the church, specifically its youth ministry, to counter the appeal of the world and disciple them that they may see how life is to be lived as we continue on our journey here in this world.
A popular adage in the Philippines states that the youth is the hope of the nation.[9] However, it is good for us to realize that the youth, without proper guidance and vision cannot fulfill this task. It is also much true in the life of the church. Today’s Christian youth is the hope of the future leadership of the church and discipling them in the truth will surely make the church fulfill the vision that God mandated for her to do.
As we all should know, discipleship is never an option and Christians who do not make disciples are not obedient followers of Christ.[10] When Jesus gave the Great Commission, it was an imperative for all who believe in him to disciple and not just to lead people to Him. It is what the church is supposed to do instead of being caught up by the fads especially in the present culture where the youth is actively engaging on. It is in fact a priority around which our Christian life should get busy with.[11] Discipleship trains God’s people to walk, talk, and grow in their Christian faith.[12] We need to build the people and help them to live in Christlikeness and get ourselves busy by making ourselves available towards the discipling of the youth in its purest sense.
The imperative of discipleship is urgent amongst the youth. The generation X is skeptic about the belief in the supernatural[13] and everything that is not experiential. Therefore the task of Christ’s followers is not to sit down in the couches of their comfort zones but to do the work of discipling the youth in the church who are struggling in the skepticism fed by the world around them and save them in their spiritual hunger for the truth.
There is such an enormous need for disciples who will leave their boats and nets and risk everything for the sake of the gospel.[14] If we have preached to the youth who Jesus is, then we are also accountable to teach them how God would want them to live. And if the church will not prioritize this sense of urgency, the generation of the future leaders of God’s people will surely be destined for doom.
Although, the ways and means of youth discipleship may vary, it is important that adjustments and contextualization of the methods be made. One method could be effective to some forms of youth discipleship context while others may not be. What is effective in a mega-church youth discipleship set-up may not be successful in the small church setting. What is integral is the heart of the discipler in assuring that the youth are being trained to be disciples and in turn become disciplers as well. No matter what the method is, we need to relate the Gospel to the lifestyle of today’s generation so as to facilitate formation of godly values and encourage them to experience more of Jesus.[15] Thus, it is important that we know how to read the culture of the youth[16] where we are living, connect with them from where they are and lead them to where God would want them to go, and do the hard work to communicate to them the truth of Christ and His desire to make them more like him and not more like the world around them.
CONCLUSION
Having served as a Youth Pastor in my home church back in the Philippines for a couple of years, I came to realize that today’s generation is in need of great care and attention. The time, effort, love and care that we give to those whom we are discipling are treasures that our disciples will cherish as they as well realize the necessity of it in their fragile lives.
It is vital therefore that as we believe that the youth is the future hope of the church, we make every effort to disciple them unto Christ-likeness, thus fulfilling the mandate that was given by Jesus himself. We need to fervently desire to give not what is left of us, but what is much that we have to help them as they too need the guidance, love and care of God’s people who will lead them towards the fulfillment of God’s plan in them and through them at the present and for the generations to come.
Lawrence Richards said, “The Gospel of Christ locates meaning in life outside the experience of personal pleasure, or the gaining of personal ends.” [17] This vividly portrays the sacrifices that we need to do in order to make the youth a people who love loving and serving Jesus.
[1] Rich Grasell, Help! I’m a Small Church Youth Worker! Achieving Big-Time Success in a Non-Mega Ministry, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 2002), 89.
[2] R. Clyde Hall, Jr., Handbook for Youth Discipleship, (Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1988), 11-12.
[3] Sean McDowell and Ray Willey, Josh McDowell’s Youth Ministry Handbook, Making the Connection, (Nashville, Tennessee: Word Publishing, 2000), 16.
[5] Tom Beaudoin, Virtual Faith, The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X, (Old San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998), xiv. Pop Culture was defined by the writer as the major meaning-making system for Generation X with the media as the primary source of it.
[7] Lawrence O. Richards, Youth Ministry: Its Renewal in the Local Church, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1972), 18-19.
[9] This adage was from Dr. Jose Rizal, the Philippine national hero, who died early in his life fighting for the independence of the Philippines.
[11] Robert E. Coleman, The Master Plan of Discipleship, (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1987), 9.
[12] Richard R Dunn, Mark H. Senter III gen. eds., Reaching a Generation for Christ: A Comprehensive Guide to Youth Ministry, (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1997), 654.
SELECTED BIBILIOGRAPHY
Beaudoin, Tom, Virtual Faith, The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X. Old San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1998.
Coleman, Robert E.,The Master Plan of Discipleship. Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1987.
Dunn, Richard R. and Senter III, Mark H. gen. eds., Reaching a Generation for Christ: A Comprehensive Guide to Youth Ministry. Chicago: Moody Press, 1997.
Grasell, Rich, Help! I’m a Small Church Youth Worker! Achieving Big-Time Success in a Non-Mega Ministry. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 2002.
Hall, Clyde R. Jr., Compiler/ contributor, Handbook for Youth Discipleship. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1988.
McDowell, Sean and Ray Willy, compilers Josh McDowell’s Youth Ministry Handbook, Making the Connection. Nashville, Tennessee: Word Publishing, 2000.
Patty, Steven, Impact: Student Ministry that will Transform a Generation. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2005.
Grasell, Rich, Help! I’m a Small Church Youth Worker! Achieving Big-Time Success in a Non-Mega Ministry. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 2002.
Hall, Clyde R. Jr., Compiler/ contributor, Handbook for Youth Discipleship. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman Press, 1988.
McDowell, Sean and Ray Willy, compilers Josh McDowell’s Youth Ministry Handbook, Making the Connection. Nashville, Tennessee: Word Publishing, 2000.
Patty, Steven, Impact: Student Ministry that will Transform a Generation. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2005.
Richards, Lawrence O., Youth Ministry: Its Renewal in the Local Church. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1972.
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