These past few weeks, I’ve had talks with a number of youth and young adult leaders and some pastors, too. The result of talking with a number of youth, young adults and church workers. It was nothing formal.I simply asked them about their insights into the ins and outs of the Church, particularly the way that young people’s ministries are being conducted. Here are some of the insights from my talks with a number of Methodists, both young and old.
Lack of discipleship.
This is a glaring lack in the United Methodist Church in the Philippines. Nope, we’re not talking about good ol’ Sunday School, which is still present in a number of churches. We’re talking about the way the church initiates its members to a deeper relationship with Christ. A lot of Methodists simply go to church on Sundays, mumble through the hymns, read through the liturgy and sit lazily through the sermon. No deeper involvement. No deeper interaction. No deeper commitment. So when they find some other groups (Christian Fellowships and other churches) that initiates them to the wonderful side of Christianity, they learn that discipleship does not need to be boring.
Lack of strong Christian fellowship.
One of the consequences of a lack of discipleship (which can also be called as a means to connect with God) is the lack of Christian fellowship. Yes, we have lots of Fellowship in the district level or in the local church level. But how about getting real about our struggles and our difficulties to each other? One of the young adults I talked to felt that a lot of times, he felt like he’s wearing a mask whenever he goes to Methodist youth activities. Hmm…
Too much focus on events and activities.
We have too many conferences, trainings, seminars and all sorts of stuff that will look good on paper reports. There is nothing wrong with events (such as Christmas Institutes and Conferences) but if those are all that we ever did, aren’t we missing a lot of things? Take the Christmas Institute as an example. It is a great event for youth to experience fellowship with each other and have an encounter with God. In fact, a lot of our pastors and deaconesses point to the Christmas Institute as crucial to their decision to enter full time ministry.
Here’s the catch, after the Christmas Institute, there is virtually no discipleship program (or any program at all) that will help young people continue their faith journey in the local church level. What happens then? They end up becoming fiery Christians in January and February. But in March, they start reverting to their previous habits. Why? Because there is no way for them to nurture the fire they got from Christmas Institute. When they find a group where the fires of their faith can be nurtured, Methodist young people will then decide to leave the church in favor of the church that nurtured them.
The clear and urgent need for discipleship!
John Wesley instituted one of the most effective discipleship models in the history of the Christian church. Long before “Cell Groups” became popular, he already instituted it with his bands, classes and societies! While all other churches, Christian fellowships and parachurches are using the very same discipleship model John Wesley used, we Methodists have been lagging behind.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said:
“Discipleship means adherence to Christ, and, because Christ is the object of that adherence, it must take the form of discipleship…. Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ. It remains an abstract idea, a myth that has a place for the Fatherhood of God, but omits Christ as the living Son. A Christianity of that kind is nothing more or less than the end of discipleship.”
There’s no question about it: the United Methodist Church needs discipleship. But in our contemporary times, the question we need to answer is how to put Christian discipleship back into our churches.
here, here. the state of the youth in our church is, in every sense of the word, grieving. we have lost the touch of Christ amidst our thinking that we have Him.being a campus missionary, i can think of tons of strategies to suggest. but one crucial thing really stands out: LET US PRAY.praying is not inactivity. if we gather together, pray, and get bored—then there’s something wrong. boredom with Christ is a result of our lack of fellowship with Him. the more we should pray, then, individually and as a group. prayer is total dependence on the God whom we long to know.what makes praying difficult for us?
i agree with those statements.. usually older members of the church think that the youth can already do it along even without their support. yes, they are supporting us financially but sometimes there are things lacking.
ang pag didisipolo nang isang kabataan o kahit na sino pa man ay isang napaka sarap at rewarding na gawain. lalo na at ikaw ang naging daan para sa paglago nang isang kapatiran sa iglesia.ngunit mahirap gawin ang bagay na ito kung tayo mismong mga taga disipolo ay nalalayo sa tamang daan at tamang landas para maging isang tunay na modelo para sa ating mga kabataang pag didisipolohan.magiging parang bulag na taga akay nang kapwa bulag ang mangyayari sa atin.Para sa akin ay mas importante pa rin ang unahin ang personal na relation sa ating tunay na guro at Panginoon bago tayo nag disipolo nang iba.mahirap magbigay sa ibang tao nang mga bagay na wala naman tayo.mahirap mag pa totoo nang mga bagay na hindi naman natin mismo naranasan.lumapit tayo sa Panginoon at sikapin nating maging disipolo muna ang ating mga sarili bago natin gawin ang kanyang Great Commandment..
i pray that the young people will realize all of these things the UMC lack as of now. and i pray that they would be patient and faithful enough to wait for God’s time. i believe that they will become the instruments of revival for the UMC. theres stil hope.ako mismo. ako mismo ang magiging halimbawa ng isang kabataang magiging tapat at maghihintay ng tamang panahon upang maging instrumento ng pagbabago sa aking relihiyon! =)God bless satin.
The challenges encountered by the UMC in general and the UMYF in particular is nothing short of perennial. These problems have been going on for quite some time now. Even if you ask more mature members of the UMC, I’m sure they’d have something negative to share about their past and present experiences. A number of people have left the UMC, others chose to weather the storm and stay. Either way, no one can be judged with the label of not being obedient to God. In fairness, our church is able to get over these obstacles. It’s just that we start falling into the same mistake when we get our guard down. This seems to be a cycle. But why is this so? Let’s try to analyze things.You see, one of the strengths of the UMC is it’s being highly organized. We are known and imitated for that. But sadly it has also become a liability to the point of it being too bureaucratic and overly technical. Thus, snuffing out the true essence of the church – heartfelt worship and intimate fellowship. Rather than being a church, we have become a corporation or a company. We become too conscious of how our place of worship looks rather than the people who worship in it. We become too concerned about the quantity of attendees rather than the quality of fellowship of the parishioners – which, no doubt, will be better if the group is smaller and more intimate (kaya nga mas masaya ang madestino sa mas maliit na church e. kasi parang pamilya talaga ang turingan). We become too focused on the cash flow (tithes, pledges and offerings) rather than setting the heart of true worship. We think that a “good activity” can lure people to go to church more and start “committing”. Time proves that these “formulas” just don’t work in the long run.We ask why other mega churches and young fellowships are able to achieve growth. We think that they succeed in multiplying due to brilliant ideas, eloquent preachers and relevant themes. Well, sige, let’s admit it, these do help. But they do not rely mainly on these things. We should realize that their level of piety does not only depend on these things. Try attending one of these neo church’s services and you can see that when you worship in these types of congregations, you feel something different. Like, everybody knows why they are there. And when you ask a particular member anything about faith, they are capable of giving sound theological precepts. So what’s the big secret? Efficient goal setting and planning? Good networking? Up to date technology? Not quite. IT’S THEIR SENSE OF PURPOSE – the purpose to just seek God, worship Him and please Him by living Holy. And you get this through proper CHRISTIAN EDUCATION, DISCIPLESHIP and STRONG CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP.Sometimes, we become jealous of other churches for having big places of worship. And what do we do in response to this? We ask for more offering to build bigger temples. What we fail to see that these mega churches have gotten more members first before building a large place of worship. It just makes me shake my head thinking that we build the big buildings first before filling it up. So, we end up with a church na “aalog-alog”. We are missing the point. We are simply missing the point.In line with this, our church seems to be involved in “empire building” instead of soul winning. Under the guise of mission and evangelism, local churches scramble to go to remote places so they can have their flags raised first. Then you hear high and haughty people say things like, “Ah, ang church namin ang unang nakapagpatayo ng simbahan sa lugar na ito.”. Then all support for the daughter church is cut and just left to “fend for itself”. Maanghang na ba?Sadly, as brother mighty said, the UMC, our church, seems to be walking a different direction from having the Jesus agenda (I mean look at the theological crisis happening in UTS-the premiere training ground for our clergy). Any full blooded UMC member may be offended with these revelations but when you truly look at the facts you know what has been exposed is right.While it is true that change starts in all of us, we cannot deny the fact that we need change on a much larger scale. Needless to say, if we are not in the same page as our leaders and “elders”, it would be difficult to spark “change” in the UMC. Of course, it is obvious that we should try to get their attention and attempt to influence them. With the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we should do something to make the dream of having a quality church experience happen.At the end of the day, all we can say is, WE NEED THE LORD. This is a very simplistic thought but it is true that only He can make something out of us. That is why the quality of Bible studies and cell groups (which is under discipleship) should be given more attention and FUNDING. Rather than spending time,effort and finances on things that we don’t actually need we should focus on the things that are truly essential in the church – Worship,Discipleship and intimate Fellowship.
well, i believe that we don’t lack discipleship in our mainline churches specifically the UMC, it’s just that we lack creativity, new IDEAS and proactivity of doing such. I mean, as you have said that we have many programs left and right which means that we don’t lack equipment. The problem that we see is how we innovate and make these programs appealing, interesting and life changing indeed. Name them; G12, PDL, CG,SS, BS, LTG etc they are practically the same-they are used for us to grow spiritually. They just differ in package,in name, or in gimmicks ,but same content or ingredients-it’s the same Word of God being taught.Again all we need is creativity and innovativeness. Just like Nokia that develops newer CP units every month!
uh, a few corrections for my typos and slips:1. First paragraph – It’s just that we start falling into the same mistake when we LET our guard down.2. 2nd paragraph – We think that a “good activity” can lure people to go to church more and HAVE THEM COMMIT.SORRY NA LANG KUNG MAY IBA PA. HEHE
In fairness, maaaring hindi lang naman ang UMC ang nakaka experience ng ganito. Maaaring ibang denominasyon din. Sana lang, mabigyan na NATIN (tayong lahat)ng atensyon ang quality at quantity ng pagdidisipolo… meaning sabay.Pwedeng bang Maraming youth na may kalidad na pananampalataya? walang imposible sa Dios! Think positive!Sana lang, sa tuwing mag rereport ang youth sa mga council meetings, hindi dami ng OFFICIAL funded o nagawang activities ang ma-highlight. Bakit hindi natin I-level up? I-prioritize natin kung mayroon tayong dumaraming cell groups, dumaraming cell group leaders, at dumaraming nakakakilala kay Hesus at sumusunod nang totoo sa kanilang buhay. At ang pagsunod kay Hesus ng tunay ay makikita sa loob at labas ng simbahan, eskwelahan at komunidad. Isang Kristyanong handang magdisipolo nang iba at hindi pa nakakakilala. Amen.salamat, purihin ang Dios!
The UMC clearly has programs for everything – including discipleship. I mean, I wouldn’t expect anything less from one of the most organized denominations in the world! Pero ang problema nga ay ang focus ng UMC in general at UMYF in particular. Parang naiiba na sa orihinal na gawain ng isang iglesia.Totoo na hindi gaanong problema ang ideas at ang pag-update ng mga programa ng UMC dahil kung titignan natin, marami nang mga UMC churches na nakakasabay sa ibang mga fellowships. Pati sa technolohiya ay nakakasabay na tayo (isang example ay ang pinangunahan ng kapatid na Mighty noong nakalipas na Central Conference).I think the real problem is putting all these plans into action with the goal of putting Christ above all. Hindi ang pagpapakwela. Hindi ang pag compete sa ibang denominations. Hindi ang pagpapalaki ng kaperahan. Nasaan si Jesus sa mg motibo at mga mithiin natin?Heto pa, sinasabi nating sa UMYF nakasalalay ang future ng ating church. Totoo ito. Ngunit ano ang nangyayari kapag hindi na sila UMYF. Nagiging active pa ba sila sa church para magpagamit sa pagbabago ng iglesia? Ito ang isang napakalaking tanong.Oo naman, may pag-asa pa ang UMC. Wala namang nagsasabing wala na e. I think that is not the issue. The issue is wanting to improve things in our beloved UMC. Hindi pagiging negative ang ginagawa nating pag expose ng mga maling nakikita natin sa ating samahan. In fact, positive pa nga ang kalalabasan nito dahil may mga posibleng pagbabago KUNG may makikinig at kikilos.
Kuya Melvin, Just recently talked with mike and mitch of QCD. They wanted to create cell groups involving UMYAF as group leaders! I find this as God’s leading for a start of something big! Kaso we need to be equipped. A pastor(s) who would mentor the UMYAF who are leading the cell groups. Do you have a suggestion for this? Would appreciate all the help. A curriculum maybe, etc. God bless! TY
i do think that all UMC churches has discipleship programs whether or not it is funded, creative, innovative etc etc. kung sa meron, meron tayo. We have devised approaches to cater to different age groups with regards to the topic at hand.i think we have the soundest discipleship programs to offer, with various approaches na hindi nakakaintimidate… Pinag aralan rigorously kung sino ang target, how often ang mtg, ano ang curriculum na gagamitin, may separation o leveling para sa mga newbies and confirmed na members ng org but here’s the thing, the problem occurs sa execution ng program. Walang magtuturo.Kung ilan ang miyembro mo sa isang church o sabihin nating sa youth org let’s say merong 20 may youth worker na isa. Ang lagay ang ratio 1:20, of course, mathematically masyadong madami yun para sa iisang youth worker na iintindi especially if we are trying to dig deep and to really nourish the lives of our young people.From the vantage point of a church worker, i really see the great need for the lay people to work hand in hand with church workers. ang nagiging trend kasi sa church kung sino ang pastor at deaconess… sila ang inaasahan sa lahat. Let me make it clear, this is a general observation. Churchworkers are expected to do all the work especially with regards to the ‘spiritual matters’. But see, hindi sana ganon. We all know these people could not do all the work.I see the need to strengthen the ranks of the lay people so that they can help us address pressing issues that the church are faced with not necessarily contained to the present plight of our young people but to the totality of our program as a church as we witness and disciple in our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and all the ends of the earth.Looking back on our historical and spiritual story as redeemed people it is very clear that even in Jesus’ time he didn’t work alone. He had twelve disciples. And in the Gospels when he sends them to minister he asked his disciples to go in pairs. No one ministers alone.But see, in our present setting, it seems as if we lost that essential biblical tradition. I don’t know why. Biblically, the harvest is plenty but the workers are few.Well, this is just one of the factors that I could think of. But, mind you, this plays a very, very vital role in making our programs as a church sink deep.By the way, we are devising here at good sam a discipleship program through cell group approach initiated by the young people. Please do pray for God’s endeavors to come into fruition. Pray not just today but please do pray for us every day if possible every minute… then do so. After all, we all agree they are the future of God’s work here on earth. Kansamnida.
perhaps one reason why people here in th UMC (and perhaps in other denominations) have not-so-effective discipleship programs is because of our lack of undertanding of what discipleship means. a lot of people tend to think discipleship is just the same as evangelism. i do not mean to put down those people who walk around malls and schools and give away 4SL booklets and ask people to accept Christ, but most of the time hardly anything comes after that. what comes out are people claiming they are saved because they signed a card saying they are saved, yet with only mere ideas of who this Jesus Christ really is and what they are supposed to do.all we have learned to do is to greet them on sunday mornings and encourage them to join different ministries in the church. but we expect them to understand what the ministries are all about, what the pastor is saying, and to try to make himself comfortable in a church filled with “holier people”. we encourage them to “bring a friend next sunday”, but we don’t encourage ourselves to bring one. what’s worse, we expect somebody else will disciple them while we live our “Christian” lives.and because the new convert cannot feed himself, he is either frustrated because he cannot keep up with the “longer-time Christians”, or he is frustrated because he sees us doing exactly what he used to do. discipleship, then, becomes optional. or better yet, it becomes something one has to be responsible for himself.i do not really know how john wesley defines discipleship. you can correct me if i’m wrong or missing something. but discipleship, i believe, is much more than what i have mentioned above.discipleship is beyond evangelism; it is a RELATIONSHIP. i believe one cannot disciple beyond their relationship with that person. how we relate to others is manifestation of our relationship with God. automatically, discipleship also becomes our relationship with ourselves.it is INFLUENCING them with what you have been influenced with by God. it is LEADING others for Christ so that they would become leaders for Christ as well.it is being ACCOUNTABLE for that person, knowing that this person is one we will give account to God someday. it is not having an accountability partner during the course of a camp, or a conference year. we are to be accountable for that person for life. it is then being accountable to ourselves because we might stumble the person we are guiding. it is guiding that person in their walk with God EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.if we would just acknowledge these things, we would not be leaving them to the pastors and deaconesses or to the youth workers. we would all have done our part.but then again, we may have fully understood what dicipleship is about, all along. and that is why most of us can’t do it.just a thought. 🙂
ahm.. tama po.. kahit dito sa distrito namin ay may mga ganyang nangyayari,, may mga kabataang nagiging mga opisyales pero may iba silang mga kadahilanan.. may mga iba na gusto talagang mag-serve kay Lord,, pero malay natin meron ding mga opisyales na gusto lang sumikat.. hnd maaalis sa isang officer ang pagiging sikat pero sana yung kasikatan nyang yun eh magamit niya sa pagdidisipolo,,about po dun sa mga ibang denominations na kung saan mas pinipili na ng mga ibang kabataang metodista na lumipat na dun eh aking nakita sa sarili kong mga mata.. meron po kasi isang group dito sa bayan namin na as in nageenjoy lahat ng mga pumupunta.. kasi talagang nafi-feel nila ang presence ni God dun.. pero naisip ko lang.. hindi ba ito pdeng gawin sa sariling iglesia ng mga metodista? ano bang meron group na ito at nagagawa nilang maparamdam ang presence ni God ang napakalakas..siguro kung magiging ganito ka lakas ang mafi-feel ng mga kabataan or taong idi-disipolo natin sa ating mga sariling iglesia eh siguradong marami tayong maaakay papunta sa tamang daan dba? sana po ay may makapagturo sa amin ng mga paraan para muling buhayin ang apoy sa puso ng ibang mga kabataang lumihis na ng landas..sana’y maging daan ang mga metodista sa pagkakabuklod buklod ng mga tao hindi lang sa Pilipinas kung sa buong mundo.. kahit ano pang relihiyon, kultura at nationalismo.. iisa lang ang pinupuri nating Diyos si Hesu-Kristo lang at wala ng iba 😀
to lenmark: hey bro. would love to help you guys. i’m glad you guys are planning these sort of things. hope we could meet up sometime to discuss these things. God bless you!
to roselle: AMEN! Preach it sister!
yeah it’s true naman po… But hindi lang po ang UMC ang nakakaexperience ng ganitong bagay… But the young people of the United Methodist Church must be able to keep the flame which i think connects us with our Almighty Savior… Siguro, to keep the flame, a UMYF must be able to attend the church regularly, i mean not just attend, but to have a sort of ministry… I mean joining the choir, the band and any other ministry that the church can offer with your whole heart, maybe if you see that your local church is in need of a new kind of ministry then why don’t you build or be the one to lead that ministry… Some kind of suggestions lang naman which i think can keep the flame burning in our hearts… participate to church activities, not just participate but participate with a whole heart….Thank You…Christ Above All!!!
well we just say many words hehe. I remember one council meeting that i attended, and the CC officers were kinda warry about the solution of a problem concerning discipleship. All disclosed whats on their mind, but one old humble officer made a stand and said ” Well what we need is the Holy Spirit, lets pray for His indwelling.” And the meeting filled with silence for a minute or so.Well at first it was like simplistic for us, but come to think ok it, the old man has the POINT.
The reason why there is no discipleship? At the risk of oversimplifying, I have no doubt about the answer; DOCTRINAL IGNORANCE.The real reason why other groups (Roman Catholics, Mormons, Calvinists) maintain their passion kase they really BELIEVE in their doctrines. United Methodists, on the other hand, try so hard to “fit in” para hindi sila ma-tag as “judgemental”.Ask a Catholic youth if they will tolerate someone saying that Mary was not a perpetual virgin, or a Calvinist if he will tolerate someone who opposes predestination. But ask a United Methodist what he or she will do when someone tells them that Jesus is gay: all you will hear from the majority of them is, “Opinion niya ‘yan: ayoko mag-condemn.”So why does the fire disappear two months after CIs and Summer Camps? Why no discipleship? Because the youth AND ADULTS are activity oriented: easier to report in Charge Conferences. NO ONE IS TOLD THAT THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE OF THE CONFERENCES WAS TO DISCUSS DOCTRINE! See the original transcripts of Wesley’s Conferences, all discussions on how to teach doctrine and how to discipline those who dont believe in methodist doctrine.Marami akong kilalang Baptist who can sit through an hour-long sermon and still listen attentively, and yet the equivalent UMYFer cannot stand a 15 minute sermon1 Why? Because the Baptist youth listens so that his/her belief in predestination is reinforced while the UMYFer finds doctrine boring so is bored when sermons teach doctrine and become interested kapag “pep-talk” ang sermon.Seeing that the Baptist, the Catholic, the Iglesian, the Mormon, the Presbyterians are DEADLY SERIOUS about their doctrines, why wonder why they have strong disciples among their youth? And seeing that our youth, the UMYF, are more interested in “gimmicks”, all in the name of “creativity and new ideas,” why wonder why, when they start going to school and encounter those who are not Methodists eh ayaw na nilang maging disciple?
as the philosopher say, “there is time for everything”, time will come in every person to long for that deep connection with God, in situations they encounter, in time we don’t know when. Same with the parable of the sower, we never know when a heart become a good soil, but then we should keep on sowing the good seed, which is the word of God. We can’t categorize which activity is good or excellent coz even in simplest ways, He can use every part of it to touch some0ne else’s life, we can’t have it all done perfectly, but He gives us the courage to see that there is more to be done because of imperfections ending up on wanting more from Him, drawing nearer to Him. keep moving…keep working…we are in the journey…its part of the path…
It seems na nagkukulang talaga sa conviction for the proper practice of faith and discipleship ang church natin. I say the whole church at hindi lang ang UMYF. Maaaring sinasabi mo ngayon, Ha?!!!Sa aking palagay, kung ano ang nangyayari sa kabataan ay reflection lang ng nangyayari sa mga nakatatanda. Bakit kanyo? E kung ano lang naman ang nakikita sa mga elders natin ay ginagaya ng mga youth e. Buti nga ang youth, may C.I., Summer Camps, Bible Studies at Cell Groups. Ang nakalulungkot, ang ibang sangay ng iglesia ay walang ganitong mga programa para mapalakas ang pananampalataya. Minsan, ang kabataan pa ang inaasahang umakay sa mga matatanda! KARAMIHAN sa mga iglesia natin ay hindi na aktibo ang UMM at MYAF. Ang halos humahabol lang sa pagiging active ng UMYF ay ang WSCS. Nakalulungkot kasi tila hindi pareho ng intensity ng pag-worship ang mga kabataan sa mga nakatatanda. Bakit kaya? nababaduyan na kaya sila sa pagiging active sa church? Pero, hindi ko naman nilalahat. Mayroon pa ring mga young at heart sa paglilingkod sa Panginoon. Tuwing Linggo lang ay parang masmarami na ata ang mga “MATURE Sunday Christians”. Siguro kaya bumababa ang kalidad ng discipleship and fellowship ng UMYF, ay dahil nakikita at namamalas natin ito sa kabuuan ng iglesia. Haay, ang anghang nanaman ba?So anong punto ko?Sa mga kabataang tatanda rin at siyang papalit sa liderato. At para sa mga kabataang ito, ang dapat ay ang maging tapat sa pag sunod sa ating Panginoon. Kung taliwas sa Bibliya ang tinuturo o kinikilos ng mga “elders” natin sa iglesia ay ‘wag na nating tularan. Lalong-lalo na sa usapin ng pulitika sa loob ng Iglesia (muli, oo, mayroong ganito sa atin), sikapin na nating ibahin ang nakagawiang sistema. Unahin ang pag taas sa pangalan ng Panginoon. Sunod, ay ang kapakanan ng nakararami at hindi lang ang kahit na sinong “superstar” na lider.Kung totoo ngang ang mga kabataan ang pag-asa ng iglesia e ‘di ‘wag tayong matakot na iparinig ang boses natin lalo na kung tayo ay may mga nakikitang maling nangyayari sa iglesia natin (buksan natin ang ating mga mata!). TOTOO, MAY MGA GANITO RING NANGYAYARING MGA PROBLEMA SA IBANG MGA DENOMINASYON ngunit ‘di naman kinakailangang maging ganito rin sa ating samahan.Ipahayag natin ang mga natutunan natin sa C.I. o kahit sa Sunday School. Huwag na tayong manahimik sa mga anumalyang nangyayari sa tabi-tabi ng iglesia natin. Huwag na tayong magbulag-bulagan. Kumilos na tayo. Simulan nating manindigan tungo sa pagiging tunay na Kristiyano! Tigilan na nating gumaya sa Spiritual and moral leniency.
Train up a child in the way He should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it… For me, matindi ang need to prioritize ang Youth at Children. Sila na ang minomold ngayon, kasi kaya pang i-mold. Hindi na natin kayang baguhin ang kaisipan ng isang matanda. Ngunit malaki ang pag-asa natin sa mga bata at kabataan. I am so excited. Sa mga MYAF na tulad ko, may pag-asa pa to get involved in discipleship. Paigtingin pa ang bonding ng UMYAF at UMYF. Nawa i-disciple din ng UMM at WSCS ang mga MYAF. Madagdagan ang accountability sa bawat isa. And siguro just wanna share, your own house can be a church as well. Meaning, hindi lang tayo sa church pwedeng mag-invite. We can use our homes to gather people that we are discipling diba? Person to Person, Home to home, Community to Community and Nation to Nation. After all the Church are people nto the structure. Purihin ang Dios!
You want a successful church? Give more attention and funding to the children and the youth. Dapat maging isa sa mga main priority ito ng church.Then, stop being naive. I’m sure we all know that there are problems. We cannot deny that fact. But should we just accept it as a fact of life? I think not. Because the Bible tells us that we should always strive for holiness and righteousness. Hindi tayo dapat maging lax. We should not just be REactive. We should be PROactive. Meaning, bago pa mag simula ang isang problema dapat inaagapan na.
gusto ko rin palang suportahan ang sinasabi ni lenmark sa pagpapasimula ng inyong sariling mga Bible Study groups. It doesn’t have to be in the church. Just gather your friends, share blessings and prayer concerns and most importantly, study the Bible.
Thinking it our loud..Minsan, some of the MYF, after graduating from the Organization and takes the road of career, family etc, also graduates from his/her faith. Meaning goes back to the OLD him, Old life style and everything.Well, minsan lang naman… and it’s the worst thing for them/ us to happen. Kahit naging officer ka pa or not…What was the problem then?Why do we find it hard to maintain our spiritual level and most of the time compromise our faith?As per my evaluation and some related readings, tayong mga young people, we’re trained to create and attend programs. Yep! Our growth becomes a result of our attending programs…This is not supposed to be bad at all…Kaya lang minsan.. Ministry becomes our DRUG…We become to ADDICTED by it. Attendance addict, exposure addict etc. and we become so DEPENDENT on attending activities. We become so addicted to point that when our fellows are gone, the org ministry is gone, then so are we…We have designed youth ministry that encouraged committed students than committed to Jesus, embracing and following his ways.While we, leaders, should be discipling (if there’s such a word) our students to be MORE LIKE CHRIST.Discipleship, basically, means helping our students become MORE LIKE CHRIST.Hence, we leaders should start focusing our strength and all to creating in our students a life long habit that focuses on a deep personal relationship with God. A deep level of spiritual maturity that can take us in anywhere life may lead us. This would also probably aid our most common dilemma which is leadership transition. Add up the concept of QUALITY attracts QUANTITY… 😉
I whole heartedly agree to give special attention to the youth. based on my experience and observation church activities loses its appeal to some church members due to a variety of reasons (i.e. dirty politicking, ill treatment, etc.). I see familiar names here thus I dont think that I need to go on as you can identify things yourself being active umyfers in the past.There was an AC which I visited in the past, a Pastor “pounced” and verbally assaulted a deaconess. He used the word “deception,” and lies. the poor lady just wanted to participate in a convention and he could have used kinder words. Attendance LANG sa isang activity but he attacked the issue as if it was a life and death situation. masyadong bibo yung pastor na yun.sa mga meetings/ACs lang, madami nagmamagaling, kung makapagsalita, manita o umatake parang hindi mga taong simbahan. I have also experienced this when I was still active in the UMYF.Though I admittedly have good experiences in the UMC, the cons outweigh the pros.
I was formerly an active UMYFer and UMYAF’er.The things I see it, the problem does not lie with the individual’s spirituality. Attitudes and ill treatment drives some members away.
hello el nino: Tama po kayo. A lot of UMYFers and UMYAFers even adults are actually contemplating to leave the UMC. Dami kasing political matters and other things that lead to disappointments. Kaya tuloy, andaming ministries na neglected. I also wanted to leave some time ago. But right now, I’m staying because I see some hope, especially among young people who work with the church ministries that they love.
Thanks kuya Mighty for this post. I will not add any comments I agree with you. What on my mind right now is that our elders, specially our pastors and bishops to take a look at this page to see what is happening to the Church (UMC in the Philippines) During annual conferences it’s like a board meeting that some of the delegates feels bored attending the sessions. Kasi kung hindi si ano ang pinag uusapan eh yung ganito at ganyan na puro debate at intriga ang natapos. I moved that we show this page to the annual conference where we belong for them to rethink of our programs and future of our Church. Darating ang panahon wala ng matitirang Metodista sa Pilipinas kapag napatuloy ang pananamlay ng ating mga kaanib. Mga UMYF EXECOM ng Annual COnferences alam ko nababasa ninyo itong post na ito. Try to put it on plenary of your Annual Conference para mapag usapan at magawan ng paraan. We must act now. Alam na natin ang problema, gawan na natin ng solusyon. Now na!