Evangelism and Leadership Development among Young People in Europe
By David James|
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Confronting the Unchurched Youth in Europe
It is Saturday evening in Villach, Southern Austria. Thomas and I are engaged in a lively discussion about God with a group of young people in our “teabus.” The converted bus is parked in the old town centre close to all the bars and night clubs. Here, we provide free tea and coffee to young people out for the night. As usual, my young co-worker and I are dealing with an interesting group dynamic. The mixed group of 15 and 16-year-olds has been drinking. Several are beginning to engage with the conversation, several are trying to provoke us with their coarse jokes about religion or shock us with their sexual innuendos, one wants to move on to the next bar, and one is just not interested.
“God” is a very loose concept for this largely unchurched group. Some have been to Catholic Mass when their parents or grandparents have pressed them to go; however, they rarely hear about the creator, saviour, personal God there. Some regurgitate the philosophical ideas they have heard in debates in what is termed “religious education” at school: God is energy or God is a human construction. “I am God” says one of the more drunk guys. “Alcohol and sex are my gods” says another. They both collapse in helpless laughter. They decide to move on and persuade some of the others to go with them. Despite the massive group pressure, two choose to stay and talk. Thomas and I know we have perhaps another ten or twenty minutes with these people. What should we say?
Sharing a mini 5-point gospel presentation with such a group is pointless. The basic concepts of God and sin need to be defined first. In a broken world where patchwork families are the norm and alcohol is an escape, our personal testimony has great effect. Sharing our stories, in particular the hope and purpose we have found in Jesus, is far more effective than neat arguments at this stage.
One co-worker used an inspired sentence in the middle of a conversation to completely disarm a vehement attack on our faith from a genuinely interested but provocative young man. After fifteen minutes of debate in which our co-worker had repeatedly and gently countered the visitor’s rhetoric, our co-worker said, “The difference between your point of view and mine is that I am at peace with the world and happy with my faith and myself and you are not. You have inner turmoil.”
Bold but effective, the visitor had no answer. We need to help people see that we were created for a relationship with God. The simple fact that we are out in the world, demonstrating love and care by talking and listening to the young people (and not preaching at them), is a powerful message in itself.
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David James is Austrian field leader for European Christian Mission, which seeks to see second-generation churches planted with significant Austrian leadership and autonomy. He has served in Austria for twelve years, predominantly in local and national youth ministry. |
