LAST summer during the riots in one of our big cities, a little girl who was being tucked into bed by her mother said with a trembling voice, "Mommy, I'm afraid."
Her mother replied, "Don't be afraid. God is with you."
To this the little girl replied, "But Mommy, I'm afraid."
Consoling her once again, the mother said, "Don't be afraid. God is with you."
Finally, the little girl pleaded, "Yes, Mommy, but I want someone with skin on."
How many young people both in and out of the church, facing the perplexities and difficulties of our complex society, echo the cry of this little girl. This is the challenge to us as pastors and as youth leaders. Words are not enough our ministry must have "skin on it." It must be a personal ministry and if effective it must lead the youth in personal involvement.
What are some ways in which the church can do this?
1. Examine our attitude toward youth. Do we look at them only as "members in waiting" or "the church of tomorrow"? They want to be considered for what they are today. Our activities, evangelistic and otherwise, must not be planned for them but with them. Ours is the role of guidance and encouragement, not dominance. Our planning must be specific enough to provide opportunity for the youth to---
establish identity with their church.
establish independence in their church.
establish intimacy with their church leaders.
2. Examine our personal ministry with them. Do the youth of the church understand our work as pastors and church leaders? Are there ways that we could involve them in that ministry? After we baptize a youth is there a change in the personal attention we give him? Do we seek to give each youth we baptize a personal sense of mission as a responsible member of his church?
Note the following counsel:
"Everyone who is added to the ranks by conversion is to be assigned his post of duty." --Testimonies, vol. 7, p. 30.
Does every youth in your church know the specifics of his post of duty? This takes personal attention. I know of pastors who take selected youth with them for Bible studies in homes where there are young people. Youth of comparable age assist in the studies. After several weekly visits of this kind, the youth in the nonmember home are given into the specific care of the youth who has accompanied the pastor. It becomes the youth's responsibility to bring these young people to Sabbath school, MV, Pathfinders, et cetera. Youth involved in Bible-study ministry could be encouraged to do the same.
3. Acquaint ourselves with the materials available for use in personal evangelism. New materials are available through the MV Department this month that are prepared specifically for a one-to-one approach. They are as follows:
a. One-to-one booklet, "Do You Know the Five Spiritual Facts?" ($4.00 per 100).
This sixteen-page colorful leaflet is designed so that in personal conversation a youth can lead another youth who is not a Christian in the introductory steps to accepting Christ as his Saviour from sin. Page by page the two youth go through the leaflet together. At the close of the leaflet the youth is led to a point of decision for Christ and given opportunity to pray a prayer of confession and acceptance. Immediately at the close of the prayer the youth leading out in the conversation continues his contact by presenting his new friend in Christ with a personalized copy of Real Happiness Is.
b. Real Happiness Is. (271/2 cents each, subsidized).
This is a new youth format of the wonderful book Steps to Christ with new book and chapter titles. Thirty-six contemporary youth pictures throughout the book have appropriate comments that lead the reader to key points in each chapter. The paragraphs in each are numbered for convenience in use, and at the end of each chapter there is a reaction sheet to be filled out in friendly review with the per son who presents the book. The filling out of these reaction sheets together gives thirteen specific points of contact for the youth to continue building the Christian friendship being formed.
If the reader cannot get together with the person who has presented him with the book, he can mail the reaction sheets to him, and personal correspondence can be continued in this way.
After the youth has spent time studying with his new friend the thrilling topics covered in the book Real Happiness Is, he will be prepared to continue studies in the other cardinal doctrines of our faith. A new youth series of Gift Bible Lessons, which has been especially designed for people new in Christ, will be available soon.
c. "Do You Know the Four Steps in Christian Growth?" ($4.00 per 100).
This colorful sixteen-page booklet is designed as a Christian conversation guide to use with the person who already considers himself a Christian. It is shared in the same personal way as the "Do You Know the Five Spiritual Facts?" booklet and leads into the presentation of Real Happiness Is.
After the youth of your church have be come active in one-to-one witnessing and several are studying Real Happiness Is with youth of the community, they should begin to bring their new friends to church functions. This is an opportunity for the pastor to work closely with the youth in presenting a Happiness Rally where his youth bear testimony of their joy in Christ and use their talents in music. The pastor presents a Christ-centered message on some doctrine not covered in Real Happiness Is.
Voice of Youth meetings or a regular evangelistic series would be a logical follow-up.
A new leaflet that fully explains the one-to-one evangelism approach is available from your local conference MV secretary.
All the above-described materials are available for use in inner-city work, day-camp evangelism, ACT (Adventist Collegiate Taskforce), community survey work, and any other areas where people are in direct contact with people.
One to one should be the goal of our ministry for youth and the ministry of youth for others. The tools are new, but the method originated with Jesus. His was a One-to-one ministry. Is yours?
