Seventh-day Adventist membership worldwide is now well over the ten million mark. Of this, the Eastern Africa Division claims more than a million members, the majority of whom are young people.
But where are the youth? A quick survey would show that most of the young people in our Division are in non-SDA school systems. The Tanzania Union, for example, has a member ship of 150,000, and its eight high schools care for only 2,500 youth. One mission field in the union does not have a single high school. Thus, not less than 58,000 Adventist young people are get ting their secondary education in non- Adventist schools. Similar situations, I surmise, may prevail in other parts of the world.
The reasons for this are many. The church cannot afford to build the needed schools and provide the needed teachers to make Adventist education accessible to all young people; parents maybe too poor to send their children to Adventist schools where education is normally expensive as compared to tuition assisted (in most cases) education provided by governments; or schools may be too distant.
Yet it is the call and responsibility of the church to provide spiritual nurture and training in Adventist essentials to its youth. As go the young of the church, so goes the church. The future of the church is in danger when the education and nurture of the youth are neglected.
What then can we do?
In part the church has already provided answers to college and university students on non-Adventist campuses. Campus ministry, sponsored jointly by the education, youth, and chaplaincy departments at General Conference, division, and union levels, has kept Adventist college young people in close contact with the church—its programs, mission, current issues, and service opportunities. As a result, many university youth feel nurtured by the church and empowered to face the intellectual and spiritual challenges they encounter on secular campuses.
In view of the success campus ministry has had in some universities, perhaps the time has come for the church at large and the local church to organize a proactive ministry for the thousands of young people who attend public high schools. Such a ministry will not only provide needed nurture, but will encourage young people to stay faithful to their calling and to witness to what they believe. Here are some suggestions:
Organize youth fellowships
Fellowship keeps faith warm and active. When you have something special organized for youth in public schools—it may be in your church, home, or perhaps in a school room— the fellowship brings a variety of young people together. Many Adventists who would otherwise never meet one an other find new friends. But these fellowships are not just for making acquaintances and building friend ships. They are for spiritual nurture also. Provide spiritual mentoring. Bring in guest speakers who can present the Word powerfully. From one such fellowship in our union, in four years' time, ten young people committed themselves to Jesus and sensed their call to the ministry.
Provide youth freedom
In organizing and conducting youth fellowships, cultivate freedom and unity among the young people. Don't make all the decisions for them. Be a mentor, and let the students dis cuss what they want to do and arrive at their own decisions. Let them elect their own officers, plan their programs, and direct their energy not only for their own social and spiritual development, but also for outreach among their schoolmates. Make sure the association fosters a social and spiritual bonding. An annual camp is an attractive activity for many young people.
Direct youth toward outreach
A few years ago, I was the mentor and coordinator for a group of Adventist young people studying in public schools in the district where I was pastoring. Our association started as a small venture to foster togetherness and promote spiritual bonding. After some weeks, I challenged the students to get involved in evangelism. They did. They planned everything. I was only a guide. At the end of their campaign, 68 people were baptized. Nothing would stop them trying the same thing again the next year. This time 83 were baptized. Outreach is contagious. Within three years of outreach by this group 300 people have been baptized. The best asset of the church is its youth, rightly trained, guided, motivated, and challenged.
Involve youth in a variety of experience
Monotony can kill campus minis try more easily than anything else. Youth need variety. They need fresh valleys to cross and new mountains to climb. Young people are gifted in many ways: speaking, writing, singing, and friendship are only a few of their gifts. We need to provide opportunities for them to develop these gifts for the glory of God.
You can involve nearby Adventist churches or institutions, asking them to invite your youth associations to be involved in their services and activities. Invite mission or conference officers to conduct seminars meaningful to the situation of your young people—health seminars, lifestyle programs, Daniel and Revelation study, etc. Who knows—you may be tapping a future leader for the church in these seminars.
Campus ministry for secondary students is not easy. Unfortunately, it does not get all the support it needs from the organized structure of the church. This ministry needs reading material, financial support, transportation, leadership, and cooperation. Work at it, and God will open doors that have never been dreamed of.
