Brother Paul, leader of a youth fellowship in Eastern China with over 20 years of experience, summarized two key factors contributing to the decline of youth ministry: "Young people are shaped by the culture in this soil... naturally, youth ministry has declined."
Beyond attributing the issue solely to common challenges of financial pressure and a difficult environment, which traditional pastors have cited, he offered a distinctive perspective by analyzing the influence of "soil" and "culture" on youth ministry. His insights provide fresh perspectives on the challenges churches face in engaging young people and the youth distancing themselves from the church.
Lack of Family Education
Paul pointed out that the primary responsibility for young people's faith education lies with their peers, followed by their parents, and lastly with pastors. However, “it has now been reversed, with all the responsibility placed on pastors.”
He observed that due to economic pressure, quite some parents are busy with work and either neglect their children's faith education or shift the entire responsibility to the church and pastors.
Paul noted that in the past, young people had a strong foundation of faith and shouldered greater responsibilities in the church. However, the faith foundation of the youth these days is concerning. While youth ministry is originally expected to drive evangelism, the weaker faith foundation among today's young people has shifted its focus on basic faith "literacy."
Who should be responsible for the faith of young people?
As youth ministries have developed, some have recognized the crucial role of family and have begun to emphasize family education. Paul acknowledges the importance of family education but emphasizes that this does not deny the significance of youth ministry.
In the past, the church and pastors were primarily responsible for the faith of believers’ children. However, families must now take a more active role in this process. Paul believes that the key challenge facing churches today is how to integrate peers, families, and pastors into a cohesive ministry. In his view, such a ministry requires pastors who are discerning and capable of assessing actual situations and making dynamic adjustments as needed.
Young People Treat Ministry as a Job
As the leader of a youth fellowship ministry, Paul was once asked two questions by young people: "Can I consider full-time ministry as just a job?" "If the church does not provide enough for us, does that mean its preachers or leaders have no right to place demands on us young people?"
Regarding this, Paul explained: “Full-time ministry in the church does have the characteristics of a job. Why? The church provides financial support—similar to a salary but as a subsidy.' However, it also requires a heart of dedication and self-sacrifice. While it has the nature of work, this support alone is often insufficient to sustain full-time ministry; otherwise, one would simply be a hired worker. But we are slaves of God, serving with the heart of a servant.”
Paul noted that each position has its own requirements, like any job or role. When the church allows young people who may not fully meet these requirements to participate in ministry, it is an act of grace.
He pointed to a past controversy in society—factories struggling to hire workers while young people remained unemployed—as an illustration of the difference between the workplace and ministry. If ministry were treated purely as a job, it would follow an eight-hour work schedule with no obligations beyond that time. However, the reality is quite different. Paul recalled instances where he received calls from believers late at night or had to visit someone on their deathbed in the middle of the night.
Paul believes that the decline of youth fellowship ministry is closely linked to the willingness of co-workers to serve. They have begun to view full-time ministry as a job and are unwilling to invest beyond their assigned duties. In theory, the church should indeed provide full-time ministers with fair wages, benefits, medical insurance, and social security—this is right and necessary. “Ministers can receive high wages, but that does not mean they should lose the willingness to endure hardship,” he remarked.
In response to the second question, Paul guided the young people to reflect on the situation. He pointed out that even if a boss in a company has a difficult personality, employees are still required to follow the work demands. Similarly, if young people view the church as a company and its leaders as difficult masters, they should still obey according to biblical teachings. The Bible clearly states that servants should obey their masters with reverence, not only those who are kind and gentle but also those who are harsh. For those young people who feel dissatisfied with low wages, Paul emphasized that they should still adhere to the requirements of church leaders, while the church leaders can still set expectations for them.
Paul concluded that, much like a job seeker who leaves a company due to dissatisfaction with the salary, if a young person cannot accept the church's low compensation, he/she is free to leave, and the church will not force him/her to stay. However, if someone chooses to stay but cannot accept the low salary, the path in ministry will be filled with challenges. Even if one continues to serve, his/her heart will be filled with resentment.
Finally, Paul concluded this section by outlining two paths. The first is the pastor's path: If a pastor pays co-workers low wages, treats them poorly, or owes them money, he is accountable to God for his actions. The second is the coworker's path: coworkers should learn to obey the pastor and cultivate a heart of dedication and self-sacrifice.
- Edited and translated by Poppy Chan
