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Enriching the Lives of Youth and Enriching Church by Their Contributions
Since joining the Te Hāpai Transition Team, I've been prompted to reflect on my experiences as a young Methodist. The tasks facing the Transition Team are varied, and one that excites me is the opportunity to deepen our understanding of youth ministry in today's church context.
Recently, I discovered an online article about John Wesley’s work and his commitment to young people within the Connexion. He talked a lot around regularly meeting with young people and encouraged church leaders to converse with young people in their church.
Much like this thinking, our current efforts at Te Hāpai cover a broad range of activities as we consider exciting new ways of working with our young people and looking at youth ministry. These discussions will explore how the church can better support young people, guided by insights from youth and our champions of youth ministry. Te Hapai is committed to working alongside rangatahi (youth) and understanding youth ministry is a key part of our task ahead. We will share how our mahi has progressed in our report to Conference later this year.
An Ongoing Journey
Understanding and addressing the challenges that young people face within our church is not a new endeavour. It has been a long-standing conversation and one I have engaged with at many national Conferences. It is, however, an ongoing journey to find effective ways to support and engage our youth through ministry. Inspired by John Wesley’s historical commitment, we continue to prioritise the voices, participation and spiritual growth of our children, youth and families.
As we approach Youth Week 2024 in Aotearoa (May 20-26), this year’s theme is: ‘We may not have it all together, but together we have it all, Māwherangi a tama roto ka taka, kāpuia ake ka pūrangiaho’. I encourage you to take the time to talk to a young person: a relative, someone at church, work or someone on the street. It is a perfect time to reflect on how we can further support our young people of diverse backgrounds, skills and perspectives both inside our youth ministries and in our everyday lives. Our goal is to ensure that our church enriches youth lives and is enriched by their contributions.
The Transition Team is eager to hear your feedback and answer any questions. We realise this task is complex and cannot be accomplished alone. We are also discussing different ways to get as much information out to you as possible. For any inquiries or thoughts, please reach out to us at ttg@methodist.org.nz
Let us always celebrate and give thanks for our children. Praise God for our children!