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Where
Are They Now?
by David Parker
An opinion piece on engaging and retaining young adults in our
future Army
David Parker is an Australian Salvationist who has worked for
more than 30 years with young people – in youth and community
work for a national Christian youth organisation, with the
Salvation Army in USA
and in the government education sector in Victoria.
Recently while sorting papers for recycling, a back issue of
OnFire magazine caught my attention. The 16th February
2008 front
cover showed a group photo of Aussie Salvos who attended the
‘Make Change’ Youth Conference in
New Zealand
that summer. Australia Southern Territory had 123 delegates at
this international event. Several familiar names and faces
jumped out from photos and reports inside the magazine. I
found myself wondering: ‘Where are all those young Salvos now?’
Although
only five years ago, I assumed that at least a few may no
longer be part of this Army. Ironically, because of our
movement’s organisational structure, there is the capacity to
accurately track every delegate and their current involvement.
Indeed, it would be possible to identify how many of the 700
attendees from seven different countries are still active
within our ranks, how many may have matured into positions of
responsibility in corps, or even undergone training for
ministry as officers. Likewise, we could also determine the
numbers that are no longer with us, either moving to other
churches or giving up active church attendance altogether.
Just
because the Army has the capacity to do such a stocktake,
should it be done? What could be gained from an analysis of
the pathway outcomes of children and young people entrusted to
us. More importantly, would we be prepared to ask the relevant
questions as to why some young people choose to leave after
growing up in the Army? We are pretty good at counting
numbers. Should we
put a bit more meaning into these statistics with specific
insight into young leavers – their nurturing, faith shaping
experiences and ultimate reasons for leaving?
For
the past decade Australian school leavers have been tracked
through their transition into further education, training and
employment. Government uses this data to improve school
systems and the pathways for our future workforce. Would this
be a useful strategy for TSA to adopt? Greater insight into
why our own youth choose different pathways away from the Army
would be invaluable.
The decade after school leaving age (17 – 26 years) is the critical
time to engage youth and inculcate a lifetime commitment to
the mission and purpose of TSA. We lose far too many young men
and women from this age group. Some find another church, but
others seem to disengage from their faith. God has always
called wonderful young people raised in the Army to serve
elsewhere in his kingdom, however, we must still strive to
capture the imagination of our youth about the vision that God
is calling The Salvation Army to be in the future.
The Army is
accountable before God for the way we nurture and disciple our
sons and daughters in the faith. How well do we influence and
prepare each one for their own personal revelation of God and
a relationship with Jesus?
In past generations it seemed the best way to hold our children
into adult involvement was by saturating them in Army life and
culture. Music making and social activity were high
priorities. Today’s youth want something more! The current
generation want to see The Salvation Army as culturally
relevant, exciting and authentic in offering holistic
incarnational ministry at the local community and
inter-personal level. ‘Fair dinkum’ discipleship and a call to
holiness living are high priorities for them.
Gen Y Christians seem less
interested in just ‘doing church’ or keeping busy in corps
programs. Many are looking for the opportunity to be totally
surrendered to Jesus. They think about what their faith
demands and how they should then live.
Innovative and flexible organisational structures that
are responsive to change can also help to engender involvement
and commitment from today’s generation. Youth are quite
capable of leadership within their own ministries, but on
occasions can end up being frustrated with the Army system of
hierarchical official channels and departmental approval.
There are many positive initiatives in various parts of
the world-wide Army that are responding to the challenge of
engaging youth in creative urban ministry. Order 614 in
Melbourne
is just one shining example of this. The last decade has also
seen overseas volunteering grow in popularity. Whether a
short-term mission trip as part of a team, or a longer
individual overseas placement, such experiences can inspire
and shape a life-time of service and ministry within our
movement.
Unfortunately
however, most corps across this territory would still
regularly suffer the heartache of seeing a child who has grown
up in the ‘regiment’ move away from the Army and sadly, even
sometimes away from God. The challenge is to identify the
programs, projects and opportunities that seem to work in
engaging this generation for God. Then we should double or
triple the resourcing, training and recognition of these
initiatives at every level of the Army world – divisional,
territorial and indeed international.
Further
strategies worthy of consideration in our part of the world
include the idea of a tri-territorial or even zonal Salvo
Youth Summer School of Mission, perhaps bi-annually. Why not
regular Youth Brengles;
inter-corps youth leadership mentoring;
peer-led overseas summer mission trips as an
alternative to ‘schoolies week’ for young Salvos; and the
establishment of an international foundation that sponsors
‘gap year’ overseas mission internships with globally
coordinated training, placement and supervision support.
Commissioner
Garth McKenzie opened the 2008
‘Make Change’
conference in
New Zealand
with these words: “It’s
no accident you are here… God needs you, The Salvation Army
needs you, the world needs you“.
Perhaps
we could never expect to retain every youth
delegate attending that conference for a lifetime in the
Salvation Army, but we do not honour God by letting them go
too easily, without a fight! Let us continue to fight for
their hearts and minds by equipping, mentoring and capturing
their imaginations with the exciting possibilities that God
has in store for them as members of this Army – called to see
His Kingdom come!
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