My last blog post was an attempt to diagnose a problem - that youth ministries are often isolated from the rest of the life of a local church. 

There was some agreement, at least among those who commented, that this was often the case, and that this was not a good thing.

Cause of the problem?

So how did we get here?

That's a question calling for a much more extensive research project than this little blog (and this little blogger) can handle. But how's this for an observation:

A quick comparison of some of the catechisms from the Reformation seem to suggest a shift in responsibility for instructing (catechising) children in the faith.

Luther's large Catechism of 1530 contains this explicit instruction to fathers to ensure that their children and servants are learning their catechism:

Therefore it is the duty of every father of a family to question and examine his children and servants at least once a week and to ascertain what they know of it, or are learning and, if they do not know it, to keep them faithfully at it.

Calvin's Geneva Catechism from 1541 (revised in 1545 and 1560) was to provide "a pattern for what was expected to be taught by Christian fathers and other teachers of children in the Church."  The role of fathers in families was primary; and the church supported them in that responsibility by providing time in the church gathering for catechism by dedicated children's teachers. 

Formal time for the instruction of children by the ministers of the church is stipulated in the Presbyterian First Book of Discipline (1560), which required that "a Sabbath afternoon session be set aside for examination of young children in catechism."

By the time we come to the Book of Common Prayer in 1662, the responsibility for catechism appears to rest solely with the Curate:

The Curate of every Parish shall diligently upon Sundays and Holy-days, after the second Lesson at Evening Prayer, openly in the Church instruct and examine so many Children of his Parish sent unto him, as he shall think convenient, in some Part of this Catechism.

Meanwhile parents are simply given the responsibility of making sure their children (and other dependents) get to church at the right time:

And all Fathers, Mothers, Masters, and Dames, shall cause their Children, Servants, and Prentices (which have not learned their Catechism,) to come to the Church at the time appointed, and obediently to hear, and be ordered by the Curate, until such time as they have learned all that is here appointed for them to learn.

Is this the beginning of the shift in responsibility from family to church? I'm sure there are Sydneyanglicans readers who can add to the history. Is this an example of a social pressure to shift responsibility from individuals to professionals? Is it our sinfulness that inappropriately hands over our responsibilities to others at the same time as inappropriately wresting responsibility from others?

The explanations are no doubt a combination of factors. The widespread experience seems to be though that this is where we are, and where we are is a self-perpetuating cycle: the discipling of young people has been handed over to professionals. Because the professionals are doing the work, parents no longer exercise their responsibility, and as a result they are inexperienced and ill-equipped to fulfill their responsibility. And because they are ill-equipped, parents seek more professionals to take care of the situation for them. And around we go.

It sounds to me like the spiritual equivalent of the 'eating out' lifestyle? Where cafés and restaurants are full but our apartments no longer have kitchens? As our society is rediscovering the value of a home-cooked meal perhaps the church needs to rediscover the value of a home-discipled young person?

The family is the first church of which children and young people are members. What is required to give this responsibility back to parents?

And if responsibility for discipling young people belongs at home, is there any place for a dedicated youth ministry in the church? Is there any place for a Bible College dedicated to training and equipping youth ministers? More on that next time.