News
By Kirk Sandvig (*)
It has often been said that youth are the future of the Church. This may be true, but it is important to realize that while youth will eventually become the Church of tomorrow, they are also intricately involved in the formation and development of today's Church. In the time leading up to the June conference, Edinburgh 2010 has worked hard to increasingly incorporate the inspirational perspectives and ideas of young people within the Church.
A number of youth related events took place during the build-up to the centenary celebrations in June. Various groups and committees gathered to discuss the various study themes in preparation for the conference. During these meetings, ideas were shared about the complex issues that Christian witness is facing in the twenty-first century, and how transversal themes, such as youth and mission, should be addressed during the Edinburgh 2010 mission conference.
For that purpose, youth hosted an online consultation on the Edinburgh 2010 Facebook group. The consultation took place from September to November 2009, and addressed each of the nine study themes of the conference. This consultation was open to people of all ages and backgrounds and allowed Christians from all over the world to share and discuss mission related topics.
In an effort to increase youth participation and foster creative thinking within the Edinburgh 2010 process, a youth writing contest was organized. It offered youth an opportunity to share their thoughts on issues of Christian witness. Youth, ages 18-30, were encouraged to write a 3,000-word essay, on one of the nine study themes of the conference. We were pleased to receive essays from all around the world, including: South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brazil, the USA, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
The essays were assessed by a wide panel of experts in theology and mission. Andrew Thompson's essay, Communities of the Spirit: Missiology of Roland Allen in the Twenty-First Century, was selected by the panel as the most innovative approach to the study themes.
Thompson refers to Roland Allen, an Anglican missionary in China at the turn of the twentieth century. "Allen argues that the modern 'Western spirit' suffers from a lack of trust in the presence of the Holy Spirit in mission communities and creates utter dependence on the missionary." Building on Allen's ideas, Thompson proposes a mission model more centered on the communities themselves.
Thompson received a sponsored invitation to the Edinburgh 2010 conference and celebrations in June. The top 10 papers from the writing contest were published in the form of a book entitled Edinburgh 2010: Youth Perspectives.
Similar to the writing contest, the multimedia contest was also evaluated by a panel of theologians specialized in media, who had to find the project which best illustrated 'The Changing Face of Mission'. By using a handmade Bedouin-style tent, the winning project demonstrated how the introduction of technology had transformed Christian missionaries from tent-makers, spreading the gospel throughout the world, to a network of churches and organizations around the planet, working together with the internet.
Throughout the conference, young delegates contributed to the break out sessions through presentations and discussions relating to the many issues facing Christian witness in today's various contexts. Everyone had his/her own perspective and various opinions were shared. It was clear that there was no such thing as one 'youth voice', but many voices, and each was considered in the discussions.
In addition to this, the Edinburgh 2010 conference had YouTube videos, as well as Facebook and Twitter updates, so that people from all over the world could be informed of the events taking place in Edinburgh and share their comments. This was done so that those unable to attend the conference in Edinburgh could also experience and contribute to the discussions.
* Kirk Sandvig is a PhD Candidate at the Centre for the Study of World Christianity, University of Edinburgh, New College. He was the Youth and Mission Coordinator for Edinburgh 2010.
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