A New Mission for Youth Workers

Let me introduce you to two churches I’ve come across as I’ve travelled around the diocese meeting with youth workers.

The first church, St Wealthy’s is a well resourced church from a wealthy area.  They can afford to employ paid youth workers and attract plenty of volunteers into their youth programmes.  They can put on events that draw people from miles around and appear very successful.  The Youth workers are well resourced with materials and technology to hold young people’s attention and they regularly join forces with other large, wealthy churches to put on impressive city-wide events.

The second church is St Poverty’s – a smaller church from a poor area with only a small number of young people connected to an irregular youth group.  They have little to offer.  They struggle on with a team of volunteers who do not have the time to invest in long term planning or with organising anything more than a weekly gathering for the handful of young people.  They fear loosing their young people to the larger churches, and feel a lack of direction.

However, both these churches have something precious to offer each other.  And i’m not just saying that to appear fair or ‘Christian’ – I really do believe it.

In mission – we relate.  Mission used to be understood as those who ‘have’ going to those who ‘have not’.  The wealthy giving charity to the wealthless.  Those with power, helping those without.  These are admirable virtues of service and sacrifice – Biblical principles – but ‘missional’ shortfalls.

Mission used to be a one-way relationship.  We have; you don’t have – I will give to you.  A more valuable view of mission is – I have and you have.  We have different things that are valuable to each other, but we sometimes need to look beyond appearance to find it.

A few years ago, I went to Zimbabwe.  I went as part of a team with a number of young people to get involved in a number of projects.  We went to Bulawayo with the idea that we could help the Africans build some toilets for the local school, and help out in a number of other Christian projects while we were there.  We went to give.

We arrived to find families living in financial poverty, but rich in spirituality and happiness.  It’s a lie that the media continues to feed us that all Africans are sad and suffering.

The family we stayed with lived in a series of mud-huts, had a few chickens scratching around and walked half a mile to the nearest water pump each day.  We got involved in their daily routine for the few days we were there and learnt that life was much more than possessions.  We enjoyed singing, laughing and working together.  We reassessed our own value on wealth and possessions, status and power in the light of our new friends who exercised such freedom and joy in the simplicity of their lifestyles.

We came to give, but we all received so much more than we could have ever given.  We had financial wealth, but they had a spiritual wealth that we had never seen before.  The tables turned, and we are forever different thanks to our Bulawayo friends and a few days spent together.

So, translate that into Sheffield diocese if you will.  It appears that there are some poor churches, poor youth programmes in need of help.  They may even believe that they are poor with little to offer.  I believe the truth is every church, every youth worker, every young person has something precious that they can offer in a relationship if we look past the wealth/experience/resources that dazzles us and share what God has placed in each person.

Give what you have – if it’s wealth – give generously without the need to control.  If it’s faith – share and inspire others.  If it is poverty – teach others to understand the challenges and blessings you receive.  The gospel is about giving and receiving.  Not to oppress others and control them, but to bring freedom.  See the precious gift in each other and be open to being amazed at what you can give and receive from each other.  This is my message to youth workers across the diocese of Sheffield – Value what God has given you (however unimpressive it may appear!) and be willing to share and learn in true mission work.