Students discuss church issues

Students are questioning the role of young people in the church.

On Thursday, Oct. 13, a group of around 15 students met in the Northlawn prayer room to discuss this question. Ben Schlegel, Rachel Miller, Beth Moser and Paul Yoder shared as students who had attended the Mennonite youth Conference in Charlotte, N.C. about a group discussion around around this issue. From that discussion, various groups in the U.S. and Canada are beginning to meet to talk about the role of young people in the church.

The meeting on EMU's campus began by dividing into groups to look at two questions: As young adults, how have we felt connected or disconnected to the church? And, what is our vision for the church? Students from both EMU and Eastern Mennonite Seminary (EMS) shared some of their experiences in the Mennonite church as well as in other settings.

A theme that arose through the discussion was the greater connection individuals felt when church goes beyond Sunday morning. Tim Shenk, who spent part of his summer at Reba Place Fellowship in Chicago, shared, "I felt really connected to the church because it wasn't just a Sunday worship community."

Others shared about connection through service and outreach beyond the community that met on a Sunday morning. Still others felt disconnected because of their schedule between school and home.

A variety of ideas also came up during the discussion of vision. One person expressed, "What's up with splitting up whenever we can't agree on something?" Many hoped to see the church become a place of intergenerational communication and a focus on service and missions.

In the larger group's conversation Ben Schlegel asked, "Is getting involved in a church a priority?" On a similar note Nick Myer asked, "How much are you supposed to give of yourself to go to church?"

The group will continue to ask these questions as they consider discussions with pastors and leaders in the church.