Indebted students
It's an unfortunate fact that even the most zealous 18-year-olds can lose their way at University, but JON LANGFORD and LISA WALSH realised that their young people were bucking the trend. Having interviewed many former youth group members, they identify five key factors which appear to have made all the difference.
We would guess that St. Paul's, Salisbury is a pretty standard set up. As a large, evangelical Anglican church, St. Paul's employs a youth worker and a gap year assistant, and enlists the help of over a dozen volunteers. Like many other churches, we have a number of key values to which our youth work operates, such as the centrality of the Bible, an openness to the work of the Holy Spirit, and a heart for discipleship and evangelism. This has combined with a strong commitment to relationships to ensure a steady flow of 14-19 year olds through our doors over the last 10 years. And, like many other youth groups, we've seen many of our members go on to university as their teenage years come to an end.
One thing which maybe does set us apart, however, is the fact that by far the majority of our young people go on to remain faithful Christians in their student years and beyond. Given that this is not always the case, we set out to discover what, if any, aspects of our youth work had contributed to this. A simple but comprehensive questionnaire asked students and graduates to comment on their experience as members of our senior youth group: what it felt like, what they learnt, and what had remained with them. 16 students, ranging from first years to graduates, returned questionnaires, and we undertook a number of semi-structured interviews to further explore their answers. Five key points emerged which were to both delight and challenge us.
FIRST KEY: Integrity
Our programme is planned termly in consultation with the young people, and runs to specific themes. Underpinning this approach is a number of key aspects of discipleship which we promote, such as worship, evangelism, community service, and accountability. Whatever the topic, our teaching attempts to ensure that the Christian faith explodes into their weeks, rather than fizzling out after a Sunday night, and that this is the case whatever the circumstances we might face. It was encouraging, then, when our survey revealed that integrity was the most important concept which students remembered from their time in the group. The challenge to be consistent in our Christian faith, whatever situation we find ourselves in, was the central building block upon which the programme was based, and almost all the respondents had recognised this. As one second year student put it, 'The integrity talks brought a new meaning to my faith when I was younger as I really appreciated how real God is and how Christianity is a lifetime commitment.'
Many students went on to highlight that it was not simply this value but the way it had been taught that had impacted them. Over the years, our policy has been to 'teach it as it is', meaning that our teaching is quite straightforward, and relatively hard-line, yet rooted in scripture and personal experience. Given this commitment to integrity, we have aimed to leave plenty of space for young people to reflect on the teaching, and come to their own conclusions, ensuring that their faith is their own. From this stems the clear opportunity for young people to think through faith for themselves, and this seems to have been appreciated: 'There was always time to sit in quiet and think about what had been said, which I always found helpful and important.'
While encouraging them to make their own decisions has ensured their faith is their own, it has also meant standing alongside them whatever the consequences, and sometimes even releasing a young person to leave the group altogether. Providing support regardless has been costly to the leaders, yet this sacrificial approach has clearly been well remembered. Indeed, the survey showed that this consistent personal support meant that young people who left the group felt able to return at a later point - their integrity intact - knowing that they would still be accepted. Without a doubt, this combination of Biblically based teaching and solid, supportive relationships created a sure foundation upon which students felt their faith had been built.
However, this focus on integrity not only ran throughout our teaching, but was also recognised by respondents as a key aspect of relationships between them and their peers. Indeed, it is as we've taught this value over the years that we've become ever more convinced of the need for both leaders and members to be prepared to be honest with one another. It's not that we air our dirty washing in public, but simply that the truth of the joys and struggles of following Christ are honestly communicated. And it was this approach that was to lead us to see another key point which had contributed to their on-going faith development.
SECOND KEY: The Tone not the Talk
Given this emphasis on honesty in our teaching sessions, we devoted a significant part of our questionnaire to evaluating what style of communication the students saw as most influential, and the results were to take us by surprise. For example, one former member, when asked in interview what particular aspect of our teaching she remembered, replied that she recalled one female speaker above all others. Keen to discover what aspect of her teaching had remained with this young woman, we probed further. 'Oh no,' she went on to say, 'I don't remember what she said, I just remember she loved God passionately.' And this student was far from alone in this. Indeed, memories of the group without exception revolved around people rather than the details of what they had said.
Rather than the content of any one specific talk, we were led to conclude that members instead remember the tone of what is communicated: 'I have no specific memories of the teaching,' said one. Depressing reading, maybe, for those of us who spend hours preparing our masterpieces, but also a very valid reminder that what we teach is only a small part of what we actually communicate. We were left with a very poignant reminder that the tone of our work with young people creates lasting memories (good or bad) - and this is not restricted to what we say alone.
THIRD KEY: People
These emphases on integrity and tone naturally led us to look in greater depth at the role of relationships both between members, and between leaders and members. Primarily, as indicated above, we saw that nowhere was these values more clearly communicated than in the relationships within the group. It was particularly noticeable that the leaders who had demonstrated this integrity and were prepared to share honestly with the young people were the ones best remembered.
Reflecting further on this, it appears most of this relates to time; the more time leaders were able to give to individuals, the greater the influence they had. Again, we were to see that time dedicated to building relationships was time well spent. It was no surprise, then, to discover that for a resounding 88% of respondents, our annual residential weekend was at the forefront of their memories. Summed up by one young woman as 'space for God and space for people', we were left in no doubt as to the value of this event. While many saw it as a regular opportunity both to review their progress as Christians, and use the time to grow closer to God, closer examination showed that it was the security and space associated with the residential that enabled this to happen. Where did this security come from? Feeling comfortable in their relationships with their peers and the leaders. Once again, lasting memories of the group revolved around people.
FOURTH KEY: Action!
Whilst, as we stated earlier, our programme allows plenty of time for reflection, we also place a strong emphasis on acting upon what we learn. Increasingly we have found that it is in community service projects, and simple positions of leadership, that these values are explored and relationships are built. This clear commitment to put what we learn into action was identified by many students as a point of particular growth.
Through running Christian Union groups, serving the local community in social action projects, and taking a leading role in many aspects of church life, members have literally put their faith into action. As one student recalled, 'I think it helped me to realise I had to stop messing around and complaining because I wasn't the perfect Christian but that I should live the best I could for God, not using anything as an excuse to get between me and God.'
The 'don't just learn it, do it!' approach that we present shows that it is possible to make a genuine difference in other people's lives and that faith stands up to the reality of life. Interestingly, this early involvement appears to have a direct influence on the amount of confidence they then have in their faith at university, and has led many to take leading roles in their university Christian Unions and in community projects.
FIFTH KEY: The Bible
From the very beginning, the Bible has been central to the youth work at St. Paul's. Whether in small groups, large groups, focus groups, or one to one settings, our teaching is strongly Biblically based and we encourage young people to read the Bible in their own time as a vital part of developing their relationship with God. However, as with most young people, ours are not particularly good at doing this! It was fascinating, therefore, that our research identified a trend towards the Bible suddenly falling into place as our young people leave home at 18.
It seems that after years of hearing that they should read the Bible, suddenly they have a real desire to do so: 'Stepping out of the youth group where people tell you to read the Bible makes you realise that you do actually want to read it,' reported one student.
Such comments caused us to examine again our methods in teaching scripture. Our conclusion was that in using the scriptures week in week out, we are giving them the basic building blocks of faith on which to build as they get older. It also appears that this consistency gives rise to a joined-up learning process: 'All the areas did go together and overlapped - a good thing - you can't accept some teaching and not others as it's all important!'
Furthermore, we believe that this joined-up learning encourages young people to live out their faith as they learn, not simply preparing them for the future. This seems to create a personal faith which grows as they grow, rather than leaving them trying to recall something learnt at age 14 which hasn't grown and developed with them at age 18. For instance, while our young people may not able to recall a six-point gospel illustration word for word, they do have a real experience of God, and an awareness of their need of Him in daily life. When this is combined with the action points mentioned above, and practical evangelistic experience, Biblical truths appear to run deep. Indeed, the survey showed that it is once they are challenged in their faith at university that they head to their Bibles, and as they do so they find familiar territory based on years of teaching.
