Back in September we started a conversation in response to recent research into church life in the Diocese. The aim was to reflect on the successes of youth ministry over the past 40 years and where we go from here. I asked a few of the leading youth ministry practitioners in the Diocese to think about the essential principles that we need to hold to and the practical steps that we need to pursue in order to grow the church through youth ministry. Rounding out this little series is Matt Redmond, long-term youth minister at St. Paul’s Gymea.

Along with myself and the other contributors, Matt doesn’t claim to have the answer to what will see youth ministry grow. The principles we’ve established get the thumbs up:

I agree that the Bible is the first tool of ministry, including Youth Ministry. I’ve also seen first hand the value of ‘staying the course’. Both these principles should help frame our practice.

The specific thoughts Matt offers take us back to the essential basics of what we’re on about:

Another, essential principle we need to hold to and pursue is Jesus’ command to love. Like preaching the word and staying the course, creating a culture of love in our communities should be obvious.

Love framed Jesus’ teaching on how God’s people are to live (Matt 22:37-40). Love distinguishes between those who follow the world and those who follow Christ (John 13:34-35). Love replaces rampant individualism with a biblical community where members are cared for equally (1 Cor 12:25).  Love does a great many things, including covering over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Obeying Christ’s command to love God and love one another is essential if we are to move forward together in mission and establish biblical communities.

Of course we all know what can happen when the pendulum swings too far in one direction. There is the danger of moving either toward license (creating a culture of permissiveness) or legalism (creating a culture of fear). Therefore, as well as love, there must also be truth. 

This brings us back to why the Bible is our first tool in ministry. As we read the scriptures we discover how to live in truth and love the way Jesus has commanded to ensure God’s family is built up and always open to others.

The principle ought to be familiar, but I know how easy it is for the basics to be assumed and overlooked. Along with the reminder then, we need patterns of ministry that embody what we value. Given the individualism and competitiveness of youth culture, a youth ministry community characterised by love is a powerful plausibility structure for the message of God’s redeeming love in Jesus. Matt talks about the importance of a youth ministry that embraces otherness and welcomes outsiders:

In practice, love will demonstrate itself in a variety of ways. One example that springs to mind is a person’s willingness to embrace otherness and welcome the outsider. This is true for the group as well as the individual and has a profound impact on newcomers. As a Youth Ministry practitioner, I see this all the time. When asked, “Why did you keep coming?” most people reply, “because I felt loved and accepted by the leaders and the community.”

In a recent conversation with one student I discovered how this helped him to understand the Gospel better. “When I first started coming” he said “I knew that I should be a Christian…but now I know I want to be a Christian…I see how Jesus has loved me.”

People need to know that the Christian faith we profess is not only true but that it works as a way of life. How we live matters. Loving sacrificially puts flesh on our words, and in some small way, shows those around us just how much God has loved us in Christ.

I’m arrested by Matt’s phrase to ‘embrace otherness’. It’s a way of talking about Christian love that sounds a strident counter-cultural call not only for young people, but for older people as well. Perhaps there’s a need for older members of our churches to embrace the ‘otherness’ that teenagers bring to church life and for teenagers to embrace the ‘otherness’ that older believers can bring to their discipleship?

Our challenge is to find our identity as people in Christ so much so that we share his willingness to welcome others without losing the sharp edge of the gospel message. Matt’s final word is apt:

This is still not the whole answer, but hopefully another helpful addition to the conversation - Preach the word, stay the course, Love God and love one another.