Last week, we noted that one of the many gifts of God bestowed Christians, is fellowship. This fellowship is also reflected in the communality of members of a local church – categorized into children, youths and adults.These categories, each with individual uniqueness and contributory efforts towards the success of the local church, must be managed properly by the Pastor. The focus here however, is the interpersonal relationship between Pastors and youths. On some of the several ways Pastors can enjoy youths in their churches, they include:
1. Love them: The best language youths understand is the language of love. They easily commit themselves to whoever shows them love even in their frailty.
2. Understand them: To enjoy youths, Pastors need to understand them. Many of them act innocently because they are just beginning to discover themselves. This makes them prone to errors and mistakes of which many of them are ever willing to learn if corrected in love.
3. Listen to them:Pastors will enjoy their youths in their churches if only they are willing to listen to them. It is erroneous to think they are not wise and have got no mind of their own. They appreciate it when they are listened to before any conclusion is made about them or corrections made.
4. Train them: Pastors will get the best out of youths when they take time to train them. Youths are ever willing to be mentored and will give their rapt attention to whoever is willing to pay the price to do that.
5. Engage them: Pastors who understand that the glory of the youths is in their strength do all to engage them. Youths must be engaged. Where pastors don’t do, the devil does. Meanwhile, their allegiance is always pledged to the one who engages them.
6. Deploy them: Youths like adventures and like it when they are deployed. This helps to build confidence in them. In fact, they never forget the ones that gives them platform for self-expression. They believe it is such that has actually given them life.
7. Trust them: Youths like being trusted. Doubts prevents them for giving their best. Youths often reciprocate trust in them with trust in you. They are ever willing to trust anyone who trusts them.
8. Appreciate them: One of the languages the youths understand and love to hear is appreciation. This can be verbal or non-verbal. It often boosts their morale and encourages them to do more and give their all.
The desertion of youths from many churches today is not the devil’s work, but the inability of Pastors to acknowledge the peculiarities of the youths and unwillingness to do the needful. If only the needful can be done, Pastors will gain the hearts, love, admiration and commitment of these ones, and the Church will grow once again to be vibrant and powerful with a beautiful and bright future.