In Defense of the Shema Initiative: The Shema Initiative and Un-churched Youth

It inevitably happens every time any mention of a family friendly youth model is suggested. The idea is instantly shot down by someone asking "what about the kids whose parents are a part of the church?" This is a small way of thinking. The Shema is so much bigger than "church programming." In fact it may be that becoming a church that embraces the Shema will not change youth programming at all. Besides, isn't it kind of like saying that a church doesn't need to have a youth outreach program because it already has some seekers coming? Youth workers have no problem admitting the absurdity of that. Ignoring the church-going parents of students is just as absurd.

There has been a movement in youth ministry towards intergenerational ministry (which, is different from multigenerational, by the way) and rightly so. I believe, in fact, that intergenerational ministry is the solution to the question "where do un-churched students fit the family ministry model?" It is curious that so many individuals who embrace intergenerational ministry are skeptical of family-centered youth ministry. Wouldn't it make sense that members of a student's "family of faith" might also serve as adoptive family? If anyone has doubts about young people's willingness to accept individuals as adoptive family, I encourage them to read any literature on gang activity ever produced! A sense of belonging to a family is widely believed to be the number one appeal of gangs to youth. Indeed a sense of belonging is huge for most young people.

So then, belonging to the family of faith allows the Shema Initiative to be pertinent for all of our young people. It is important to consider that the Shema (Deuteronomy 6) was originally read to the entire nation of Israel, creating the "it takes a village to raise a child" effect. In the United Methodist tradition, infant baptism represents a covenant made by parents to God to raise their child in the Christian faith (warning: oversimplification). In a baptism ceremony, the members of the church all join the covenant, promising to assist the family in doing so. At no point is the children's and youth staff tasked with this responsibility. In the context of the UMC, The Shema Initiative is simply requiring that parents and church members take that covenant seriously. The Shema Initiative is also asking church members to fill the role of adoptive spiritual parents for those youth who need it. There is nothing unrealistic or ineffective about that!