This is a series of blog posts concerning youth participation. The articles will be published every Tuesdays in the coming 7 weeks.

Before looking into the passage, try to ask yourself which of the following statements best describes your view on youth participation.

1. Youth participation is not very much a pressing issue. Youth will become older and by then they will still meaningfully participate in the church. Somehow by then it will be the better timing for them to participate after they have gained more experience.

2. Youth participation sometimes just does not make sense. Why should we engage those youths? You know, some of them are just naïve, arrogant and lack of experience. What is the point to include them when we have all kinds of experts?

3. Engaging a certain number of youth is essential. But it should not be pushing higher and higher. For instance, 10% of youth in an international meeting is already reasonable. Given the fact that not many of them speak, what is the point for having more?

             Even if you may accuse me of betraying the youth, I could not entirely disagree with the above statements. In some cases, those views are partially right while in many cases they were being used as an excuse for delaying and impeding youth participation. 

            One fundamental understanding should be made clear. Encouraging youth participation is not a choice. As it is clear in the bible that church should be inclusive to women and man, lay and ordained and young and old. One cannot decide whether to promote youth participation by conducting a cost-and-benefit analysis. It does not work that way. 

            Although I believe meaningful youth participation is essential for a church to grow healthily, it often gives rise to a handful of challenges before bearing fruits. For instance, When a church try to engage a youth representative in its council, the elders soon realized that it hampers the ‘efficiency’ of decision making as the youth often see things differently (But it is exactly why we should engage the youth)

            Engaging youth may not bring immediate benefit to the churches but more challenges to be dealt with. It could be one of the major reasons why youth participation is always being put at the bottom of the agenda. 

             However, it is clear that no single group should monopolize the governance of the church as all are called by God to serve him and build His church. Striving toward a more inclusive communion is a mandate for the church. It is not an option.