Thousands of Christian youth leaders gathered to be re-inspired and re-energised by the Youthwork Conferences in Southport and Eastbourne over the past two weekends.
The Youthwork Conference was organised by the Youthwork partnership between five Christian organisations, Spring Harvest, Youth for Christ, Oasis UK, The Salvation Army and Youthwork magazine.
Christian Today was able to interview a number of the leaders of these organisations about their youth ministries, and about the conferences and the hope and problems that Christian youth leaders face today.
Below are brief interview texts for Christian Today’s Interviews with Richard Bromley, Director of Local Ministries at Youth for Christ; Russell Rook, Director of Youth Ministry for The Salvation Army; and Jim Partridge, Head of Youth and Student Ministry at Spring Harvest.
Richard Bromley, Director of Local Ministries at Youth for ChristCT: There are many challenges in youth ministries in the UK today – but what is the greatest challenge in youth ministry in the UK today?
RB: I think the greatest challenge in the youth ministry in UK today is the mission challenge. We haven’t thought about what we are calling people into – where the churches are great and strong it is fantastic and we have youth works that can accommodate them, but so often when we call young people to faith what we are saying is be like us and be socialised into this rather exclusive club.
So often the church has been challenged by youth ministry and are being led by youth ministry, which is why so many mission leaders are reading mission books, as they realise we are in a new day. So the youth ministry is going to transform the church and the church has got to allow that to happen in parallel with what it already does. I am not saying it as a revolutionary but we just have to accommodate a different culture of young people – not youth church but a youth culture church.
CT: What are your aims for this conference?
RB: I would think we want to inspire people, and on the leadership team we hoped the people will go away from here standing a bit taller.
I want people to go away from here inspired and a bit more passionate about the young people they work with, and if I can inject passion in them, then great!
CT: How do you think the young people have responded to the things being taught to them here?
RB: I was asked this before and I was surprised about how many faith developments there are.
