[The Church Blog] Are our Churches gradually paying more attention to the youth?

For anyone who grew up in a strict religious setting or a structured church system, one of the most looked forward to events was an induction ceremony which signified that you now had access to the adult church without being harassed. As we all evolved and times changed, that excitement went as fast as it came when the adult church soon became a nightmare. Younger people could no longer find a place in the church.

That was just on the surface. There was a much deeper issue.

There were a few things that characterised the older church; hostility, hypocrisy and a just un-welcoming atmosphere. Most of which were fueled by hand down doctrine – bulk of which we couldn’t explain the scripture backing such practice

Young people could hardly relate to these rituals. They had mind-boggling questions most of which were controversial and the immediate approach was to shy away from them or at worst, scold them. They wanted an experience that many of these strict settings hardly offered them. They wanted to share their stories and be received with love and care and joy. They had pop culture tendencies and needed a community where they could find manifestation.

When they could not find a solution to these; millennials began to find their way out of the door and for many; out of faith.

A couple of years down the line after the Church fought hard to deny the reality of our situation and called the youth a lawless generation, it finally began to step up to our responsibilities. Hence, the growth of many youth churches. 2017 was one of those years when we particularly saw the emergence of many of such churches; particularly designed to meet the earlier highlighted needs.

The Star Hub, youth church of Daystar Christian Centre was inaugurated officially on January 29, 2017. The audience was clear; ages 16 – 23 and all programmes were designed to cater for that age range. And people began to troop in – in ripped jeans, stud earrings all coming to hear the gospel of Christ. They also came with all kinds of gifts – rap, dance, comedy, drama, singing, art and all sorts. The church was prepared and took the church on a one-month teaching they tagged – You wan shine?. You wan shine? explored the details of using your gifts and talents in pursuit of purpose. The Church has also embarked on evangelism, flash mobs, Movie shows, Barbeque evening and most recently a Christmas not as told; a mind-blowing Christmas drama adaptation.

The Tribe Lagos also launched in 2017 – February 05, to precise. Unlike many other youth churches in this category, the Tribe Lagos was not an offshoot of an existing church. Led by Pastor Ferdy Adimefe, the church runs with a vision to see our generation rise up in power and purpose, to be passionate followers of Christ, aiming to transform and impact the world. The church hosts a rather mature bulk of youth. There’s really no age barrier at The Tribe but most of her members are young professionals; majorly over 25 years. The titles of the several sermons from The Tribe are a reflection of the church’s mission at addressing foundation issues young Christians face. The church has also embarked on several outreach and projects aimed at proclaiming the love and joy of Christ to all.

Covenant Connect, youth church of Covenant Christian Centre kicked off with so much vibe on Sunday, June 25, 2017. The audience was similar to The Star Hub; ages 16-23. The vision was simple; to set the pace for youth in becoming Ambassadors of God’s kingdom. In its 6 months of existence, the church has explored key doctrinal subjects like Walking in the Spirit, Kingdom Culture, Faith etc. Alongside giving the young people platforms to explore their God-given potentials in dance, music and the word.

We have little information as regards when The Amplified Church kicked off but findings reveal it was sometime in March 2017. The church is led by Pastor Dotun Adejumo, first son of Bishop Felix Adejumo and Rev. Mrs Funke Felix Adejumo of Agape Christian Ministries.

In previous years, we have seen the Lifepointe Church, Joshua Ville, God Bless Nigeria amongst several others. All of these point to the fact that we are gradually acknowledging that we were wrong and are more committed to making things right.

We cannot exactly say that the work is done because, in fact, we just started. But with the emergence of these youth-focused churches, we know that we are one step in the right direction.

As we gradually proceed into 2018, we hope to see more churches and ministries focused on reconciling an evolving generation of young people to Christ. We would need to be careful though; that we never abandon the core – Jesus.

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