The current trend of events all over the world calls for immediate action to the discerning mind-keeping mute. The church whose business should be to rescue those who are perishing seems to Church, that the youth who should be battle axes in the hands of God are being recruited massively into the devil’s army for his end-time exploits. You can read more similar posts on our children/youth ministry page of the site.
Youth Target
Of course, anything targeted at the youth is not only for the present but also targeted at the future. Hence, danger looms for the Church if nothing is done to change this trend of events.
One of the best ways to rescue the world from this evil trend is to strategic how to bring the young people of this generation to Christ. This is a serious mandate that sensitive and obedient children of God need to pursue in this generation.
The Role of the Church
The Church need to be intentional in carrying out the plan of the Master which is: “To open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:18).
This should be the goal of the Church for the youth of our generation. Achieving this is not an easy task. It calls for urgent and deliberate action to bring humanity to godliness before the final whistle is blown. Any church that has less concern for the youth, either in or outside the church setting, is playing with the Lord’s mandate and the future of the Church.
Churches, especially in Africa, should be careful not to allow what is going on presently in churches in Europe and America to happen in Africa. This is the time to rise and act fast.
How the goals should be
This goal is what the International Centre for Youth Ministry (ICYM) is set to pursue. One of her major objectives is to equip youth ministers/workers in local churches for effective ministry. Local churches are expected to be the bedrock for youth ministry. This is where young people ought to be saved and disciple for fruitfulness of kingdom purpose.
It is to achieve the above goal that ICYM has set up a training institute. The training institute is to equip youth minister’s workers to carry out their ministries using the biblical pattern to win and disciple the young people for Christ. This manual has been prepared to serve as a guide for the training.
Admission of the policy
As a matter of policy, admission into this training class will be based on the recommendation of your pastor/minister or the church. This is because we want all our trainees to be accountable to their pastor’s church and have a platform.
They can put into practice what they have learned without causing any confusion to the body of Christ. This training will be as practical as possible to help the trainees apply the principles therein without much difficulty
Existence of Youth Ministry
The youth ministry exists within a multicultural environment. A clear understanding of the culture of youth is a basic requirement for a successful youth ministry in a local church. Therefore, this lesson aims to introduce learners to the understanding of youth culture.
By the end of this lesson, it is expected that students should have been able to:
- Gain an understanding of youth culture and subcultures.
- Identify various youth cultures popular around them.
- Identify basic characteristics of youth culture and subculture
- Identify positive basic steps towards handling youth culture.
Introduction
Culture refers to a set of shared attitudes, values, and practices of a group of people located within a geographical entity.
This group shares a collection of values, beliefs, rituals and traditions. Subcultures are groups of individuals within a culture that distinguish themselves from the parent culture to which it belongs.
Members of subcultures typically maintain some of the parent culture’s founding principles. A subculture forms when a group of people/youth have a common set of experiences or values that differ from the dominating culture in a way that fits their group’s obligations and values. A subculture is a smaller cultural group within a larger culture.
The youth ministry exists to train an unbeatable youth group that will multiply disciples and growing believers. The believers among non-Christian youth through evangelism, and programmes for spiritual maturation in any community they may find themselves. This can be easily achieved with an understanding of the culture of youth.
Concept of Youth Culture
Youth culture refers to the societal norms among adolescents, and young adults. Specifically, it comprises the processes and symbolic systems that are shared by the youth and are distinct from those of adults in the community. Youth culture is also a way of defining trends in an era as it is ever-changing. What the youth see as important in a particular generation often changes over time.
Characteristics of Youth Culture
Characteristics of youth culture include:
Getting Identity: Youth engage in this through language, music, gang, gender, art, rebellion, urban/rural living, and so on, in relationship to the dominant culture.
Distinct Clusters: Youth engage in this through sub-cultural forms and behaviours that identify them as a separate group of people in society.
Contradictory Needs: Youth demonstrate this through satisfaction of needs to maintain identity.
Autonomous Behaviours: Because of their independent-mindedness young people tend to act independently without consultation.
Negative Inclinations: Young people engage in this through exploration of delicate and disruptive steps and behaviour
Some Types of Youth Subcultures
Young people are influenced by the globalization of culture in many different forms, such as:
Fashion: spaghetti dress/mini skirt/Boss-B etc.
Slangs/coded languages10
Hairstyles (haircut-punk/dreadlock/waves-unisex)·
Drugs and alcohol/abuse
Party
Dance styles (hip-hop, etc.)
Type of music
Social media addiction
Truancy
Occupation: Such as ‘O (motorcycle) riding, security personnel, etc.
Crimes: Such as examination malpractices, ritual killing, fraudulent activities (yahoo-yahoo), cybercrimes
Money Ritual: Such as yahoo+
Factors Influencing Youth Subcultures
Some factors strongly influence youth culture, such as:
Peer Influence
Parental Abuse
Dysfunctional Family (Low parental attention, single parenting)
Addiction (substance/attitudes)
Societal Failure·
Death of parent
Poverty
Media Exposure
Suggested Responses to Youth Culture for Church Leaders
It is normal for you to identify with different subcultures as they develop their own identities. It is also good for society (adults) to allow youth subculture to flourish because it is a normal part of growing up into a mature adulthood.
However, youths should be helped to stay positive with the subculture they have identified with. Any subcultures that make youth aggressive, hopeless, troubled, low in academic performance, retrogressive and so on should be discouraged through love, care and counselling. The following recommendations will be helpful:
- Church leaders should consistently and periodically organize educational programmes youths can benefit from.
- Church evangelism committees should be close to the streets, motor parks, and private hostels, to reach out to the youths in their subcultures.
- The church pastors can organize periodic concerts, games and football matches at strategic open places in the town where these youth will be free to attend.
- Use of promotional items: Such as polo shirts, boots, tracts and other useful materials, attractive catchy, but godly inscriptions may be distributed to the youth for identification by youth workers.
- Sponsorship of vocational training and educational support for brilliant and indigent young people so that they can be useful to themselves and society.
- A follow-up discipleship program must be drawn around where the youth resides or a convenient place.
- Leaders should organize visits to the young people’s families coming to the Lord. Subsequent visits could also lead to witnessing to the parents of such young people.
- Church leaders should organize annual programmes, such as retreats, open-air crusades, talent hunts, marital counselling, career talks, etc. involving people within and outside the church.
Leadership Development in Youth Ministry
Leadership development is important in youth ministry. It enhances the expansion of capacity for prospective leaders. This lesson aims to discuss approaches to leadership development among young people in the local church.
Leadership development is a set of activities that prepare current and future leaders to perform effectively in their roles. It is one of the factors that determine the purpose of youth ministry in the local church setting.
Leadership development is meant to aid effectiveness and expand the capacity of both existing leaders and potential leaders in youth ministry. In other words, it is relevant to all categories of leaders, from potential leaders to existing leaders.
Leadership Development in Youth Ministry
Leadership development among young people can better be described as aiding the effectiveness and capacity-building of potential leaders in a local church or institution. Indicators of youth ministry in a church are relationship building, evangelistic Outreach, Bible Study, discipleship in a church and leadership reproduction.
This implies that leadership development also means mentoring young people who are converts and can take up leadership responsibilities. That means, mentoring or mentorship in a church is a way to aid effectiveness and expand the capacity of potential leaders among the young people in the church.
Mentoring and Leadership Development
A Mentor refers to someone who guides or provides advice to younger persons who are less experienced. This implies that leaders in youth ministry need potential leaders to teach, help, and give advice to as a way to expand the capacity of these prospective leaders.
This implies that youth workers can be involved in mentoring young people through teaching, training, support, counselling and guidance with the ultimate intention of raising leaders among such young people in a local church.
All these descriptions are indications that mentors help the mentees in their lives to reach their God-given goals and pursuits in life. Mentoring is a mutual relationship between two parties-the mentor and the mentee, which must be based on voluntary involvement.
Types of Mentoring
There are two types of mentoring considered in this lesson:
One-on-one mentoring: This is a traditional mentoring model whereby one mentor’s availability is attached to one mentee for a while.
The availability of mentors is the major challenge with this model of mentoring. Examples of this mentoring model include peer mentoring, reverse mentoring, and supervisory mentoring, 2Kings 2, 2 Timothy 1:1-
Group/Team Mentoring: This type of mentoring involves an individual who possesses the required experience and expertise to provide mentoring to a small or large intact group of people intermittently.
It solves the dilemma of mentoring many people when there are not enough qualified mentors in an organization to make one-on-one mentoring matches.
Examples of this model of mentoring include facilitated mentoring groups, team mentoring and peer mentoring groups, 2 Kings 6, Mark 3:13-19
Mentorship Attributes for Leadership Development in Youth Ministry
A leadership development expert recommends the following attributes required of a trusted mentor. All youth ministers must set goals for the youths concerning leadership development. Trusted mentors are as follows:
- Gets to know mentees personally
- Appreciate the mentee’s experiences.
- Listen to their mentee more than speaking.
- Own up to their mistakes.
- Share in the feelings of their mentees
Reflection Questions
- What is leadership development in a church-based youth ministry?
- Mention five indicators that determine the purpose of youth ministry in a local church.
- Discuss the concept of mentorship, and types of leadership development in the context of youth ministry.
- What are the other factors that can easily influence youth culture?
- Can you identify some other subcultures that are common in the vicinity of your church/ministry?
- What roles can you play as a youth minister to positively influence negative influences of youth culture?
