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A UMNS Report
By Joey Butler*
1:00 P.M. ET Nov. 11, 2011
See ministries with and by young United Methodists.
The United Methodist Church has yearned to bring more young people
into its pews and its pulpits, and if events of this year are any
indication, it may be happening.
The annual report on clergy age trends in the denomination,
conducted by the Lewis Center for Church Leadership of Wesley
Theological Seminary in Washington, revealed a 10-year high in the
number of United Methodist clergy under the age of 35.
The church holds numerous events throughout the year to reach young people and build stronger relationships. Events like Youth 2011 and Relevance X are designed for various age groups and stages of faith.
Exploration events,
sponsored by the United Methodist Board of Higher Education and
Ministry, help young people who feel called to ministry to gain a
better understanding of where God is leading them.
Job ministries abound
A main concern of young people the past several years has been the
bleak job outlook. To help reach out to those struggling to find work,
job ministries have been popping up at churches nationwide. One such
ministry at Roswell United Methodist Church
outside Atlanta attracts as many as 300 job seekers at its
twice-monthly networking events. Many participants are recent college
graduates, frustrated that they are now saddled with college debt,
cannot find a job to pay off that debt and may wind up living back at
home with family.
Roswell’s job ministry provides networking opportunities, support
groups, résumé-writing services and even a clothing boutique so people
have proper attire for interviews.
“Nobody is designed to go through this job search on their own, to
go through life on their own in general,” says participant David Hampe.
A DREAM denied?
During September and October, churches were encouraged to hold DREAM Sabbath services,
a national campaign to dedicate time during regular weekly worship
services to inform and advocate for passage of the DREAM Act, which
gives undocumented students a chance to earn legal status.
DREAMers, as the students have become known, spoke to congregations
and asked them to contact their lawmakers to support the bill, opening a
portal for them to go to school, join the military and become
productive members of society.
If delegates to the 2012 General Conference approve the recommendations of the Ministry Study Commission, clergy no longer will have guaranteed appointments, but the steps to ordination will get much easier.
If the church’s top legislative body OKs the commission’s
legislation, elders and deacons could be eligible for ordination as soon
as they complete their educational requirements. After serving a
minimum of two years as a provisional elder or deacon, they would be
eligible for full conference membership. However, the security of
guaranteed appointments would be replaced by various steps to gauge the
effectiveness of each pastor’s ministry.
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