Pioneer youth ministry
Our vision is to establish a ministry among young people which will communicate the gospel in a contemporary way, which will have a high emphasis upon discipleship and raising up future leaders for Albania and the Albanian church and which will be deeply rooted in the life of the local church. The churches of Fier and Patos urgently need help to establish this kind of ministry.
This vision has been driven by a number of factors:
1. The young age of the Albanian population- a very high percentage of the Albanian population are under 21 years old. Unlike Western Europe we do not have an ageing population but one which is very young. This is a key area for mission. Other religions have seen the importance of working with young people. Both Muslims and Jehovah’s Witnesses have worked hard and had success with them and if we are to influence this generation we must be proactive in making disciples among them. The vast majority of Christians not only in these churches but in Albania as a whole come to faith in their teen years. This makes good youth work strategically vital.
Young people in Patos
2. The huge generation gap which exists between young people and people in their 20’s and 30’s. We have a generation now which has not known communism and which has been brought up in a materialistic world where family life is collapsing, discipline and respect in families are falling apart and where corruption has a major influence. Young people are more influenced by rappers than Karl Marx and have a youth culture which is more attuned to a Western setting than an Eastern one. Some traditional values do survive but the difference between this young generation to those who are in our churches is enormous and urgently needs bridging.
3. The need to pass on the ‘good deposit’ to a new generation. We are aware of our responsibility not only to establish existing believers but to ensure that the truth about Christ in the Bible is transmitted from generation to generation. If the Albanian church is not to be a one generation wonder we must reach young people.
4. The strategic importance of this area. Fier is one of the largest towns in Albania with around 120,000 inhabitants. It has been branded by the Prime Minister as the “capital city of the south.” Most major roads pass through Fier. Fier has a rich artistic and intellectual heritage and also has a well formed youth culture. Patos also has a large number of young people and an effective movement amongst youth could impact a town for Christ. Building a youth ministry here would have national impact.
Young people at camp
Several attempts have been made particularly in Patos to reach young people. These were event centered and had a high emphasis on games and activities. Teams from England and Scotland have been used to attract young folk for English lessons and holiday clubs. Sports and English camps have been used also but the desire to establish something long term has been hampered by a number of factors;
-a lack of workers- due to long working hours and the strains on the lives of our workers there are simply not enough people to spend enough time for establishing this kind of work. We need people not only with experience with young people but also those who have skills in sports, music, English teaching and so on. We have seen that these provide an effective bridge not only to young people but also to our communities who are only too delighted to see work being done with this age group.
- a lack of experience on the part of the workers we have- believers have shown real dedication and sacrifice to keep a youth meeting going in the past but have not been equipped in making disciples or trained to reach young people. There is an urgent need for help in establishing ongoing youth ministries and for training these workers.
A little over a year ago, some believers from Patos proposed that we seek a couple to come to this area to help us establish youth ministry. Their proposal was simple; to seek workers to come from anything between 6 months and 3 years to help this work. The believers were clear that they want this to be an indigenous work and saw Western help as necessary in founding the work, training workers and being able to reach out to young people. The presence of a foreigner is a real plus for youth ministry in our experience as people are attracted to foreigners and generally Westerners relate to the culture that Albanian young people have taken from the West.
Whilst youth ministers would be working primarily among young people we would be very happy to use them in other roles in the churches also according to their gifts and the needs of the fellowships.
Workers would have to raise support as missionaries and would be expected to learn some Albanian but ample resources are available for translation so anyone coming out could be effective very soon.
If you are interested please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. As the Macedonian man said to Paul, “Come over and help us!”
For more information please contact: Will Niven: wdniven@hotmail.co.uk / willniven@gmail.com
