Guiding Worship
For those who plan and lead worship events.
What youth look for in worship
By Hugo Saucedo
Youth in our congregations are facing a dilemma. How can they meet God in every aspect of Sunday morning worship? This goes beyond music styles; it’s about making worship relevant in their lives. Youth have specific needs that must be met in order to be able to experience worship. They need to be involved, they need to be given creative license, and they need to understand the language of worship. When we discover ways to incorporate the needs of youth into our worship, we will see how powerful worship can be.
Involvement. Involving youth in worship takes many forms. Every congregation should have youth on its worship committee, and they should be given a real say in what worship will look like on Sunday. We must be ready to allow the often-radical approach of youth worship to be plainly visible in our services. This doesn’t mean that we need a laser light show or a rock worship band, but it does mean that we must use the talents of our youth to give them a sense of ownership and an understanding of worship. We can invite our youth to use their musical skills and to use their outgoing nature to bring the Scriptures to life in drama.
Creativity. Imagine a worship service that allows young people to use their creativity. This is a powerful—and for some perhaps a scary—thought. But youth are yearning to express their creativity. This sometimes means that as adults we need to follow rather than lead. To accomplish this we must give youth creative license and invite them to take risks with creative expression.
Understanding. Youth see the world in various shades, and it is simply not sufficient to tell young people they should live their lives a certain way because the Bible says so. Youth today want to see the relevance that God has in their lives. They need to worship God in a way that is engaging and open-minded. They want to feel what is being preached. They need to understand the language of worship.
Using a contemporary version of the Bible in public worship goes a long way in engaging a young person’s curiosity. But it is also important to watch the theological language we use in worship. For example, youth often relate to God as a Forgiver; they therefore worship God in a thankful and submissive manner. They don’t relate as well to the adult language of God as Redeemer and Savior.
This doesn’t mean that new language can’t be learned, but that happens outside of worship. One youth I know grew up with an understanding that there was a God, but savior language felt hollow and empty to him. God evangelized him through a service experience where he was able to see God as more than just an omnipotent force pulling everyone’s strings. He saw God as his Savior in the faces of people with whom he served.
Congregational leaders can open doors. Young people can experience God in a meaningful way. What they often lack is encouragement to get involved in worship. Whether we are youth pastors, sponsors, or worship leaders we must take up the challenge of seriously guiding and welcoming our youth into worship. We need to structure worship in a way that is relevant to their needs and utilizes their gifts.
Charlie, 18, has a passion for music. He has been listening to Bob Dylan and the Moody Blues since he was in grade school, and he has been playing guitar just as long. Danielle, one of his youth sponsors, saw in him a gift that would enrich not only his worship experience but also the experience of the entire congregation. She challenged Charlie to play occasionally on Sunday morning. He was reluctant, but Danielle was persistent and in time Charlie was regularly involved in worship.
In his years at San Antonio Mennonite Church Charlie was an active participant during worship. Before he left for college last summer he was baptized. Afterwards, he spoke about how he felt embraced by the church. He thanked them for putting up with his years of playing off tune and singing off key. Charlie also thanked the congregation for allowing him to see God through its willingness to worship in his style as well as in theirs.Hugo Saucedo is a conference youth minister with the South Central Mennonite Conference, and director of the San Antonio (Texas) unit of the short-term service program DOOR