Toward a Vibrant Youth Ministry
Central and Eastern Europe
By Michael G. Loftis
White hair is still very much respected in Central and Eastern
Europe and the former Soviet Union. While youth are important to
parents and church leaders, they don't sway popular opinion
either in secular society or in the church, the way they seem to
in North America. In fact, the definition of a "young person" is
different from the normally accepted definition in North America.
In Central and Eastern Europe any unmarried person is considered
a part of the church "youth group" until their late twenties.
North America has no parallel to this type of grouping.
North America also has no parallel to the level of Christian commitment
and maturity young people in Central and Eastern Europe demonstrate
as they go out in groups to evangelize and sing in villages or
on city streets. I have often found myself at a complete loss for
words when asked how often American youth groups pray and fast
compared to how much time they spend in sports and games.
Since 1989 and the fall of the Iron Curtain, many Eastern European
young people have sought after the symbols of North American teenage
life in their dress, music, and entertainment, much to the dismay
of parents and church leaders. Much of what the young people know
and believe about North America comes through the media. MTV plays
continuously in many restaurants, bars and even in some stores.
Hollywood movies, which once were strictly forbidden, now comprise
the daily entertainment diet of millions. People in Central and
Eastern Europe really think programs such as "Dallas," "Beverly
Hills 90210," and "Baywatch" are a true reflection
of North American life.
As pastors decry the immorality and violence now portrayed in
the media, they sometimes come to the ABWE missionaries for help.
They reason that since we missionaries come from North America
and know about effective youth ministry there, surely we know how
to successfully combat the rising tide of unbiblical values flooding
their youth.
ABWE is involved in seeking to develop church planting movements
in each of the former Soviet bloc countries. As part of our strategy,
we are deeply interested in training and encouraging our church
planters to build vibrant and meaningful ministries for youth .
Non-Christian youth in this region are beginning to lose hope that
the West really has the answers it promised to deliver in the wake
of a fallen communist ideology. Young people are open to the gospel
and we have many examples of God's amazing grace changing
lives ruined by sin. We must take great pains to teach the trans-cultural
and trans-historical principles of youth ministry. We must base
our work on the Word of God and the ministry pattern of the Lord
Jesus Christ, not simply on what works in North America. As a team
of ABWE missionaries, we have become increasingly convinced that
we must focus on ministry to high school and university students
in order to fill new churches with dedicated leadership in the
years to come.
Specialists for children and youth are essential in today's
missions outreach. The United States can account for only 3% of
the world's youth, yet it has 98% of the world's professional
youth workers.
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