Nat'l Leaders to Discuss New Models of Short-Term Youth Mission

The generation of youth whom many label ''abandoned'' has also been known to have a passionate desire to help the suffering, according to a youth mission expert.

The generation of youth whom many label "abandoned" has also been known to have a passionate desire to help the suffering, according to a youth mission expert.

"It's an interesting dilemma,” said Daryl Nuss, youth mission specialist with the National Network of Youth Ministries, “because on one hand young people in general have an obviously weaker worldview than ever before. In terms of expressing basic theological truths – the inerrancy of Scripture, Jesus was God – it's as weak as ever… Many people are calling them the abandoned generation. You talk about parenting; many of them are absolutely abandoned."

"The other side is that, in general, this youth generation is more socially conscious than any generation," he added. "They have a social consciousness. They are willing to be involved in social issues."

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From Jan. 9-11, the nation's leading youth leaders will gather in Orlando to rethink the youth mission.

In recent years, studies have shown that as many as one million youths have shown mettle overseas, serving in some of the worst outreach places for short periods of time. However, leading mission leaders, such as Dr. Ralph Winter from U.S. Center for World Mission, have criticized short-term mission. The 79-year-old mission trailblazer pointed out that a bevy of cultural barriers and a lack of training make short-termers ineffective as gospel preachers.

"Short-termers can’t do mission but they can learn. But we send shorter-termers to do mission. That is mistake," said Winter. "We should send them to learn."

The youth mission network conference, which is by invitation only, will ask, "Do the short-term mission experiences work?"

"We all believe they are," said Nuss, "but is there a better way to do them?"

At the conference, leaders will also discuss new models for youth ministry that might capitalize on the youngest generation's desire to transform the world around them.

"Do we need to rethink the way we do youth ministry?" asked Nuss. "Is mission a part of the DNA of what happens in a local youth ministry?"

As large, flashy, media-infused events have drawn less attention from the youth, leaders are reshaping youth ministry to include short-term mission trips that might attract and retain a generation hungry to make a difference.

"Those days of having just fun and games, those days are quickly passing by because young people look at it and feel like it's irrelevant," said Nuss. "Particularly when you try to compete with media and videogames – it doesn't compete."

"But in terms of who Christ was – reaching out to serve, to share the gospel, reaching out to touch the lives of individuals – that's very relevant. I think kids will respond to it," he exclaimed.

"We're examining and putting up the call of how we will rethink the way we do youth ministry.”

Leaders that have registered so far for the upcoming gathering in Orlando represent a diversity of organizations including the Assemblies of God, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Campus Crusade for Christ, Fuller Seminary, the Southern Baptist International Mission Board, and Teen Mania.