APCE interactive workshop explores effective ministry for children, youth and young adults
Jenna Campbell and Eric Varnon share their decades of experience
LOUISVILLE — Two longtime Christian educators led an interactive workshop called “From Inspiring Youth Ministry to Engaging Adult Discipleship” last week during the Annual Event of the Association of Partners in Christian Education, which met online and in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Jenna Campbell, the curriculum coordinator for the Center for Excellence in Christian Education at Union Presbyterian Seminary, and Eric Varnon, who has spent many years in young adult ministry, most recently at First Presbyterian Church in Fort Worth, Texas, where he now serves as engagement coordinator, led the 90-minute workshop.
The leaders spent part of their time addressing those gathered and almost as much time getting them to respond to prompts in small groups, where they discussed topics including “what was your transition like from a youth to an adult?” and “name one or two adult ministry practices that might be creating barriers for welcoming and including emerging adults into the life of the church.”
Ministry among youth and young adults “can’t be ‘let’s just do it like we did.’ Realities are different today,” Campbell said. “But some things are the same, and there might be some gems that can be good things to return to.”
Some churches offer ministry to its youngest members in ways that resemble the way a large family is arrayed for its holiday meal. “The adult table is the real table. It’s fancy,” Campbell said. “Youth are typically set apart, maybe at a card table. … Youth like it because it’s all about them, and the rest of the church likes it because they don’t have to mess with the youth. It works for both.”
But there are problems with this kind of siloed ministry, she said. “Youth aren’t seeing adults living out their faith, and if they don’t have intergenerational relationships, it’s a real problem,” Campbell said. Youth can “struggle to connect with the congregation when they leave after high school.”
“I’m not saying we should never separate out youth,” Campbell said. “But let’s be intentional about doing things separate and doing things together.”
Varnon and Campbell also discussed the challenges inherent with the “superstar” youth leader. “We need to take away those expectations. Superstar youth leaders hinder the church,” Campbell said. “They remove families from the equation and the intergenerational relationships that are needed.”
There’s also the “full calendars but empty direction” trap. “A full calendar is not the same as a healthy culture,” Campbell said. “It’s about the slow development of relationships, mentoring and being in places of belonging and deep conversation.”
On the adult ministry side, Varnon noted that many churches “put a lot of energy into programs and committees working well. Sometimes the ministry aspect of our adult programming can become secondary.”
A focus “must be on helping young adults and all adults find friends. Identity-building is the core job of people in their 20s and early 30s,” Varnon said. “PC(USA) polity is designed to help us navigate those things so we are all in ministry together.”
The two leaders read what participants wrote on sticky notes describing ministry in their context to children and youth as well as young adults. For youth ministry, descriptions included active, chaotic, exhausting, relational, formative, service-focused, lots of food and hopeful. For young adult ministry, responses included flexible, grounded, purposeful, more serious, current events, relationships, intentional, deep-diving and maintaining growth.
“We want to imagine a line between the two,” Campbell said, and the two moved some of the responses in the space between the two groups of sticky notes. “Serious Bible study — youth ministry needs that too,” Campbell said. “Youth are craving some depth.”
Both realms need to address ministry in the world, service and engaging, she said, adding, “No adult ever goes somewhere and says, ‘I hope this isn’t engaging.’”
“Please, can we make adult ministry fun? It may not be dodgeball at 2 a.m.,” Campbell said. “Do adults know the youth? Do youth know the adults? It’s the ‘you belong’ piece. … It’s about intergenerationality becoming part of the fabric of your congregation. It’s about integrating all ages into what you’re already doing.”
In their own congregation, “young people want to be given the keys that matter and make a difference. Don’t give them just junk jobs,” Campbell said. “Youth are interested in living out a faith that matters. Don’t be afraid to go deep. They’re ready to engage hard, serious topics. It might mean you need to program less.”
And for young adults, “prioritize fellowship and play. Help people connect with one another first,” Varnon said. “Be intentionally invitational, and give young people a voice. Give it to them and let it happen. Be willing to let them fail. It can be hard work to give them sacred cows.”
The leaders concluded with a homework assignment, asking participants to name “one next step you can take that would help equip emerging adults for lifelong discipleship.”
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