Service Adventure participant Carrie Slagel talks with Joanne Swett in the mail room at St. Martin’s Hospitality Center in Albuquerque, N.M. Photo: Cara Rufenacht

Vol. 2, No. 2 — March 2008
A ministry of generous presence
Calling adolescents and young adults to a way of life
by Darrell Gascho

I remember, at age 12, being invited by my father to go with him to conference gatherings. I remember sitting in on adult group discussion and having them invite my contributions to the conversation. I remember growing up in a congregation where adolescents and young adults were strongly encouraged to fully participate in the life and ministries of the congregation and to shape what the church looked like.

The pastor spent time generously walking with us and helping us explore our gifts and abilities within the context of church. The pastor not only asked us to lead worship, preach and help on committees, but also spent time with us in the preparation – listening, valuing what we heard and experienced in and through the Biblical text, challenging us with questions, and encouraging our gifts. That experience was so formative that many in my youth group have gone on to be pastors all over the United States.

Sadly, that has not been the experience of many young adults growing up in the church. The reality is that we as a denomination have continued to isolate our adolescents and young adults into their own groups. Growing up, we called it Mennonite Youth Fellowship or MYF. It was a place of our own, our own church. But this disconnect from the larger congregation can have severe ramifications.

As I travel and speak in a variety of churches, I hear a common concern over young adults leaving or being absent from the church. Part of this may be shifts in our culture, but how do we as a church expect young adults to feel a part of the congregation if they are not fully invited to participate in the creation of what that congregation looks like? Those generations before me have had that privilege, and for a variety of reasons, we have not seen the same invitation extended to those who have followed. So now young adults are looking for a new church.

Several years ago, I attended an area conference gathering where a speaker invited all those present who had begun working in the church or attending conference before they were 40 years old to stand. Many, if not most of this large gathering, stood up. Then he asked those present who were under 40 to stand. Only a handful stood. If we desire the health and vitality of the church, we will need to generously invite young adults to fully participate and help shape the future of the church. We will have to trust them and, more importantly, trust God.

Over the last few years, I have heard the term “culture of call” used often within Mennonite Church USA. For many, this has become a tired phrase. I wonder sometimes if this phrase has done more to make us feel good about ourselves than calling us to take seriously the need to become actively involved in the lives of our adolescents and young adults. To truly develop a culture of call within our denomination, we will need to practice a ministry of generous presence.

The gospel stories always remind me that Christianity is an acculturated faith. It is a faith that has always found its definition and shape in the stories and lives of people as they practice living it out. Jesus’ call to all of us was to get up, see, and follow or practice living out God’s love. It was about a way of life that acculturated God’s love and asked people to be in relationship, practicing the fullness of shalom. I am struck by the generous ministry of presence Jesus practiced with his disciples. Repeatedly, he called them by saying, “Come and follow me.” Come, see, and practice what it means to live out God’s love.

How do we as a church also engage in this process of calling adolescents and young adults to a lifestyle of faith? Have we taught all the biblical stories through Sunday school, and in so doing removed all the power and impact? Should we have spent more time listening to their questions and being open to and present with them in their faith journey? Have we focused on a certain set of beliefs and rituals and lost the organic impact of the gospel message? The message that calls us to serve the poor, seek peace and justice in the world, and bring healing and hope to those in need. It is a problem when young adults think they need to go outside the church in order to live out their faith.

The church and parents have a great influence on the direction young adults choose to follow. The call to live counter-culturally sometimes feels like impossible. Economic realities can cause parents to live out a fear for their children. And while the government pursues violent means to ensure our security, parents preach a faith in education and a good job that will provide security, the apparent antidote to fear. But is this what we are called to as Christians?

As a church we are too often more likely to talk about faith and belief in terms of a code of ethics or values rather than as a lived-out experience. Adults are often hesitant to talk honestly about their faith with young adults.

Jesus’ call to follow was a risk. It was and is a call to a journey. A radical journey.

For the good of the future church, we need to practice generous presence. A presence that is active and open to the language and expressions of faith from young adults. A generous willingness to allow for questions that lead to clearer practices in a lifestyle of faith.

I reach the end of these thoughts with a desire to call you to some specific action. I want to be able to give you a one-size-fits-all solution. But I realize it’s not that easy. However, it will always involve conversations. Conversations about power. Who holds the power in your church? Who gets to use power? Conversations between a 68-year-old and a 28-year-old marked by an openness to be honest and a willingness to listen. It will involve leaders in the church walking generously with young adults and providing space for them to develop their gifts and abilities. And more practically, it might mean we hold committee meetings at a different time, providing child-care as well. Most of all, it will take courage, honesty, generosity and love.

Darrell is the director of Radical Journey, a year-long discipleship training and leadership development service program that invites young adults to spend a year in a cross-cultural setting. He graduated from Eastern Mennonite University with a bachelor’s in congregational leadership and youth ministries and earned a Master of Divinity from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary. He lives in Goshen, Ind. with his wife, Julie Hertzler, his daughter, and two sons.