You’ve perhaps heard the infamous statistic that 80-85% of people who become Christians do so before age 14.  We youth workers especially love quoting that data when we’re asking for a larger ministry budget.

There hasn’t appeared to be lots of hard data to back up that stat.  But maybe that’s changed.

Sociologist Dr. Christian Smith and his team at the National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) have studied teenagers of all religious persuasions (Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, Mormon, Religiously Indifferent, etc.).  He reports in his new book, Souls in Transition: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults, that 85% of those 18-23 who have ever made a commitment to God did so before age 14.

Remember, the study includes teenagers and young adults of all religious persuasions, and it’s not entirely clear from the book what students mean what they say they have “made a commitment to God”.

But nonetheless, this is the best data I’ve seen in a while that supports that 85% statistic.

My church (Springwood Church of Christ) is looking for applications to appoint another youthworker/youth pastor to our church to start 2010. This is a FULL TIME position.

-          The Position  will include working with our current youth worker, youth ministry and pastoral team.

-          The Primary role is in establishing and managing a youth drop-in program for teenagers (at our church) run primarily 4-5 days each week (occasionally on school holidays) – building relationships with teenagers from the immediate schools – encouragement, mentoring, skills development – and providing hands on pastoral support

-          The Secondary role is involvement in the Friday night and Sunday Night youth activities

For more information or if you are interested please call me.

Johannes Knijnenburg

Office: 3299 3737  Mobile: 04 111 777 83

At UnitingWorld we’re all about “connecting communities for life” and what better way to do this than go and be part of this connection?

UnitingWorld works with Australian church communities and our church partners across Asia, the Pacific and Africa, building links and changing lives.  Much of our work focuses on those on the margins of society.  This means that most of our volunteers go into unpaid positions, receiving only an allowance and support from UnitingWorld and generous supporters like you!

Volunteers give their time energy and resources to serve on behalf of all members of the Uniting Church in Australia.  All placements are at the specific request of our international church partners and we develop these to place a volunteer in the host church community.

You may be a teacher, a mechanic or a farmer.  You may be a specialist in IT, business administration, youth work generation or public health.  Whatever you’re good at; our partner churches need you.

More than 100 opportunities are available on our website at http://www.unitingworld.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/2010-detailed-POSITION-DESCRIPTIONS.pdf.   If you think you may be interested in volunteering, please contact Kathy Pereira, Associate Director for Experience Programs at kathyp@unitingworld.org.au.

Kara Powell (pictured below)  from the Fuller Youth Institute posted an interesting article about the kind of influence  we can have as youth leaders  and why it is such an important job when it is positive and why it is dangerous when it is negative.It will make you think!

http://fulleryouthinstitute.org/2009/06/youth-potential/

Western Cape York, St George, Boonah, Indooroopilly, Chapel Hill, Centenary, Moggill, Karana Downs, Trinity Ipswich, Bald Hills, Bracken Ridge, Aspley, South Rockhampton, Sherwood, Maryborough, St Paul’s Mackay, Bundaberg, Bayside, Bulimba, Emmanuel, Nanango,  Hervey Bay and Coolum Uniting churches. 

 That’s about 230 wonderful people already! Fantastic!

Are your young people and leaders coming too? Email Tom.Kerr@yacmu.ucaqld.com.au and tell him your church, the contact person’s contact details and about how many high schoolers and leaders you expect will come.

 Then we can send you your Registration Kit !

 Tom Kerr for The Summer Madness Planning Team

Paul Yarrow is one of the contributing authors to this publication. 30,000 families around Australia make the most of what this publication has to offer