- Statistics show two thirds of Christians made their decisions before they were 21
- To influence youth in their formative years
- To plant seeds of faith, so that even youth who do not follow Jesus immediately will have a foundation to draw on in the future
- People are no longer universally going to Sunday school
- Youth are the present and future of the Church
- Youth are vulnerable – to be there for them is important
- It makes new disciples who make new disciples
- Fun and exciting – it shatters the pre-conceptions of what Christians are like
- Youth often don’t receive care and have role models
- The Church is only ever one generation from being wiped out
- Parents can be reached through their children
- Converts at a young age have far more potential for ministry – longer time of service
- More energy – enthusiasm for evangelism can be much higher
- More open to thinking in new ways
- High needs of youth demand attention
- Testing ground for Church – new ministry methods can be experimented with and new paradigms developed which can then flow into the rest of the Church
This is merely a small and imperfect list of the benefits of youth ministry. Many books have been written on this issue, and many more chapters of the story will be written by the people who will be part of this conference |
