5 Ways Nigerian Churches Drive Youths Away
Anyone that has had to take care of teenagers or young people in general knows that it is a very tedious task that requires patience and ...
https://newshelmng.blogspot.com/2015/04/5-ways-nigerian-churches-drive-youths.html
Anyone that has had to take care of teenagers or young people in general
knows that it is a very tedious task that requires patience and
understanding. If a parent or guardian can’t relate to young people in
terms of the prevalent youth culture at the time, the parent/guardian
would face a great deal of frustration in directing most youths towards a
moral path in life. What compounds this issue is that the internet and
modern mass media have given young people so much information and
opportunities such that parent/guardians can not keep up with their (the
youth) thinking.
This is also a problem for many churches as they are not keeping up with the needs of the youth of today. To lose the interest of the youth is to lose the future of the church and below, are five ways churches of today in Nigeria tend to drive these youths away from the house of God-
1) Ageism (adultism) and disrespect towards younger people by church staff
From experience, I can say comfortably that Nigerian culture permeates Nigerian churches, and deeply rooted within Nigerian culture is adultocracy, in which the respect of the elderly and adults are prioritised sometimes at the expense of the youth. For instance, when waiting to see a pastor or reverend father, young people are made to wait for long periods with no information while an elderly person would be given a swift service- the older person would be told how long he or she is to wait and also be told about the whereabouts of the pastor/priest.
Another instance is where ushers in the church shout at younger people when directing them to seat or move in the church hall but will be calm when they are directing older people. I have even seen it twice where a church staff member was shouting and embarrassing a teenage couple about "fornication" just because the couple were flirting in the church premises after the church service.
As someone that has been to many churches of different denominations with various friends in those different churches, I can say that such behaviour is endemic and it needs to be changed. Young people too have rights and feelings. The discriminatory treatment turns the youth off from coming to church.
2) Lack of relevant preaching to youths
Youth problems are far beyond "respect your parents and teachers". There are important moral issues facing the youth such as; sex, porn addiction, on the internet, bullying at school, abuse from adults, anti-social behaviours and so on. This is where churches need a good youth pastor who can relate to such youth problems.
Many churches prefer to speak against pre-marital sex to teens and young people but they forget that the young people are more interested in how to approach the opposite sex or the person that they have a crush on. A good youth preacher would explain to the youth how to create a God-fearing relationship with their close friends or partners, rather than just spouting the usual anti-pre-marital sex doctrine. Also, when preaching to youth, Nigerian churches fail to use terms that the young people will understand. For instance, using a young musician like Wizkid to explain the problems with a materialistic life would be more relevant to youth than explaining it with plain theology.
3) Lack of youth programmes
Many churches have little or no youth programmes that would interest the young people in the church. Even the ones that do have very boring programmes- they consider "choir and drama" to be everything young people need. Personally, I never could sing or act as a youth and so, I didn't really enjoy the youth programme in my church. There are other things that could engage the interest of the youth in church such as trips to religious sites/places and creative classes. Some churches have good youth programmes, I know of a few that have football matches among their youth,which is also a good idea.
4) Refusal to deal with "internet questions"
There are a lot of facts and also nonsense on the internet. It is inevitable that young people will pick up strange things on the internet and will want clarification on such things. For instance, I remember a teenager asking a pastor about the Church of England's acceptance of gay priests- the pastor just concluded that the issue is beyond the teen's understanding. The teenager probably read it on the internet and was wondering if it was possible on the internet. The issue here is that pastors or priests should be ready for such controversial questions from the youth as they have curious minds at that age and are still learning. Dismissing their questions will only drive them to find questions elsewhere. Furthermore, not answering religious questions that pertain to the church makes it seem as if the church has something to hide.
5) Resistance to technology
Some churches frown upon the use of Ipads or tablets to read bible passages. Some churches that have multi-million dollar buildings prefer to use televisions to broadcast educational material to youth members instead of multi-functional projectors. Some churches do not have a functional website that provides information on church activities. Times are changing and churches need to adapt. The youth are becoming more dependent on technology and there is a need to engage them on that level.
This is also a problem for many churches as they are not keeping up with the needs of the youth of today. To lose the interest of the youth is to lose the future of the church and below, are five ways churches of today in Nigeria tend to drive these youths away from the house of God-
1) Ageism (adultism) and disrespect towards younger people by church staff
From experience, I can say comfortably that Nigerian culture permeates Nigerian churches, and deeply rooted within Nigerian culture is adultocracy, in which the respect of the elderly and adults are prioritised sometimes at the expense of the youth. For instance, when waiting to see a pastor or reverend father, young people are made to wait for long periods with no information while an elderly person would be given a swift service- the older person would be told how long he or she is to wait and also be told about the whereabouts of the pastor/priest.
Another instance is where ushers in the church shout at younger people when directing them to seat or move in the church hall but will be calm when they are directing older people. I have even seen it twice where a church staff member was shouting and embarrassing a teenage couple about "fornication" just because the couple were flirting in the church premises after the church service.
As someone that has been to many churches of different denominations with various friends in those different churches, I can say that such behaviour is endemic and it needs to be changed. Young people too have rights and feelings. The discriminatory treatment turns the youth off from coming to church.
2) Lack of relevant preaching to youths
Youth problems are far beyond "respect your parents and teachers". There are important moral issues facing the youth such as; sex, porn addiction, on the internet, bullying at school, abuse from adults, anti-social behaviours and so on. This is where churches need a good youth pastor who can relate to such youth problems.
Many churches prefer to speak against pre-marital sex to teens and young people but they forget that the young people are more interested in how to approach the opposite sex or the person that they have a crush on. A good youth preacher would explain to the youth how to create a God-fearing relationship with their close friends or partners, rather than just spouting the usual anti-pre-marital sex doctrine. Also, when preaching to youth, Nigerian churches fail to use terms that the young people will understand. For instance, using a young musician like Wizkid to explain the problems with a materialistic life would be more relevant to youth than explaining it with plain theology.
3) Lack of youth programmes
Many churches have little or no youth programmes that would interest the young people in the church. Even the ones that do have very boring programmes- they consider "choir and drama" to be everything young people need. Personally, I never could sing or act as a youth and so, I didn't really enjoy the youth programme in my church. There are other things that could engage the interest of the youth in church such as trips to religious sites/places and creative classes. Some churches have good youth programmes, I know of a few that have football matches among their youth,which is also a good idea.
4) Refusal to deal with "internet questions"
There are a lot of facts and also nonsense on the internet. It is inevitable that young people will pick up strange things on the internet and will want clarification on such things. For instance, I remember a teenager asking a pastor about the Church of England's acceptance of gay priests- the pastor just concluded that the issue is beyond the teen's understanding. The teenager probably read it on the internet and was wondering if it was possible on the internet. The issue here is that pastors or priests should be ready for such controversial questions from the youth as they have curious minds at that age and are still learning. Dismissing their questions will only drive them to find questions elsewhere. Furthermore, not answering religious questions that pertain to the church makes it seem as if the church has something to hide.
5) Resistance to technology
Some churches frown upon the use of Ipads or tablets to read bible passages. Some churches that have multi-million dollar buildings prefer to use televisions to broadcast educational material to youth members instead of multi-functional projectors. Some churches do not have a functional website that provides information on church activities. Times are changing and churches need to adapt. The youth are becoming more dependent on technology and there is a need to engage them on that level.
