A Different Approach to Youth Ministry

Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ!

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I am grateful for the handful of youth that came out last Saturday for the Duluth Day Retreat. We had an amazing day in spite of the liquid sunshine that occasionally reminded us of our baptisms.

The day started out early at 6:00 a.m. in the church parking lot as participants hopped into the mini-van driven by Helen Osterkamp with Siana Adrian as co-pilot. My wife Katie and I met them at the Indian Point campground in Duluth with warm breakfast burritos, orange juice, and muffins. For the next eight hours, we laughed, learned, played disc golf, toured UMD and Enger Tower, and picked up bags of trash in Canal Park. It was a busy day of building and deepening relationships with God, each other, and our neighbor. I am grateful for the good spirits that all embodied, from youth to adults.

Our original idea was to be in Duluth for the whole weekend for a Fall camping experience. Due to the high risk of communal transmission of COVID in Scott and Dakota counties, we modified our plans. It didn’t seem prudent to have youth (who may or may not be vaccinated) to be in close quarters in a tent. Instead, we opted for a day mostly outside. Those who came out were not disappointed by the change and enjoyed the outing.

It was the second outing for many of these youth in as many months. In a former era of my ministry, I would have called them a “youth group.” Back then, I followed the script of programmatic ministry when it came to youth ministry. You built the biggest group of teenagers that you could, met with them weekly, provided activities that made them happy, kept them safe with good boundaries, and you had a successful ministry.

What happened on Saturday in Duluth, and a month ago on a local hike, was something different. It was a non-youth group-based approach to youth ministry. Given our current staffing (and our volunteer leader capacity) we are able to offer a few experiences throughout the year for youth to come together. They are not every week nor are they for the same group. The goal is not to boast of numbers in a group or the size of our attractive program but rather to reasonably provide as many chances as we can for meaningful interaction. Relationships blossom in wonderful and unscripted ways when people who want to get together have the chance to be present with one another.

Given the busy schedules, what our youth and family need is not ‘another weekly thing’ but rather a bit of a break to take a day retreat in Duluth or a walk in the woods in Shakopee. We need not worry about forging the future of the church through our frantic efforts to create a youth-group but rather trust in the Spirit who breathes life into the church daily. There is need among all ages (youth and adults) to lean into the presence of God’s grace, take a deep breath, and show up, involving themselves in renewing/relationship-building activities whenever they can. And when they can’t? Lean into the presence of God’s grace, take a deep breath, and know it’s okay to show up next time (or maybe the time after that).

I pray that as we look ahead to the future as seek to grow as a church, we will continue to lift up relationships over programs. Even the smallest gatherings of people have the potential of being big successes, providing that they allow for relationships to grow and connect with God’s Spirit.

As always, I look forward to waving to you in worship this weekend, whether it is in the parking-lot (8:00 a.m.), and in-person or online (9:30 a.m.)

In Christ’s Light,

Pastor Walt