A model of youth ministry for Korean youth

METHOD OF PROGRAM

Most young Koreans whose dominant language is English tend to create their own subculture, one which is quite different from that of Korean first generation immigrants. Today, there is a shocking trend among this young generation: believers who have grown up in Korean Church are now leaving not only their home churches, but also their Christian faith, in "a silent exodus." In many respects, the Korean Church in the United States has been tremendously successful for the past 20 years, due to the surge in Asian immigration, and thus, an explosion of new churches. However, many church-raised young people have found their immigrant churches irrelevant, culturally stifling, and ill-equipped to develop them spiritually. This is predominantly why the second generation is being lost. This is also true of the youth group I pastor. The church that I work for was established by Korean immigrants two years ago; naturally, their children also joined the church membership. While these children didn't have any choice to attend other churches, they are also not interested in attending non-Korean churches. The children are spiritually dormant and unenthusiastic about any church activity. Originally, I was pessimistic about my ability to work with this group, because a wide cultural gap existed between them and me: I was raised Korean in Seoul, and they were raised Korean in America. Currently, their attitude toward the church is that "Church is more for my parents. There is nothing for us in terms of learning about the Bible and Christianity."

There is an explanation why the Korean churches in America have not been able to provide quality education to the second generation. Pastor Daniel Lee of Global Mission Church in Maryland asserts, "The Korean Church in America, in general, is very busy just trying to survive, so it has not had enough energy or time to focus on the second generation yet." The history of the Korean immigration to the United States is relatively short, in comparison with other ethnic groups. The majority of Korean immigrants (about 75%) came to America after 1970, which means most of Korean churches are young. As Korean churches in America developed, they were immediately faced with the costly proposition of developing ministries for all generations at once; they had not prioritized Christian education for the second generation. Yong Pai, Delores Pemberton, and John Worley, scholars at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Education, have studied Korean-American adolescents, and they believe there is a deeper problem: "Korean-American young people at the college level are not likely to seek out either Korean or Caucasian churches," they wrote. "They may tend to feel uncomfortable in both Korean and Caucasian churches."

Thus, I found it essential to introduce develop innovative youth ministry ideas. If my ministry did not change, there would be no future and no life to my youth group, and I would only facilitate the exodus from Korean churches and the Christian faith. So, I began to research several models for reviving a youth group. What follows is the model that I chose and have applied with great success. Perhaps it will also work for you.

MAKING MINISTRY RELEVANT

• Most Korean youth living in America have difficulty learning and speaking the Korean language. Many church meetings or rallies are led in Korean; thus, when youth attend these meetings, they are embarrassed that they cannot understand what is going on. The language barrier within the church alienates Korean youngsters. One solution to this problem is to use both languages-Korean and English-in united activities or meetings, and use only English in youth meetings. Then, youth will finally feel comfortable at church.
• Icebreakers between the youth leaders and the youth group are important. Even though youth leaders initiate interaction with kids, there is often little common ground between the leaders and the kids. Communication cannot last long, and does not become meaningful, without commonality in thinking, experience, lifestyle, and culture. It is necessary to understand the youth group's culture, especially their favorite music, media, music videos, movies, etc. Discussing any aspect of the youth culture is a great icebreaker. Sometimes, even sharing and borrowing popular music CDs will help develop a friendship between youth leaders and the youth. The computer and the Internet are also popular venues for reaching and understanding today's youth. According to John Stott's Between Two Worlds, we live in a "cybernetic society," and today's youngsters are labeled the "cybernetic generation." The duration of time they spend at the computer desk is dramatically increasing. In a sense, the computer has become a central agent in lifestyle of contemporary youth. Those adults who have a firm grasp of the Internet culture will likely be effective communicators with today's kids.
• Although there have been many Bible studies and teachings in Korean Sunday Schools, most young Koreans don't understand the value of learning the Bible and following the faith of Christianity. Why? Bible studies offered in Korean churches tend to provide biblical lessons that are seemingly irrelevant to youth. This is well stated by Gordon-Conwell Professor Dean Borgman, in his theology of youth ministry:
  

  Many churches spend the majority of time on exegesis of the scripture, but they often overlook the necessity of an exegesis of self and culture. Moreover, many Korean churches have not had any idea of contexualization. Korean adults tend to think that youth culture does not exist. Some of them believe it exists, but it is too trifling to take into consideration. In this milieu, youth cannot learn anything even in the amidst of plenty of programs and activities. Therefore, adults who are in charge of youth ministry should think youth are in their subculture as much as they are in their own adult culture.

• As mentioned, Korean churches can and must become places where youth feel comfortable to learn about the Christian faith and support their fellow church members without the usual linguistic and cultural barriers. Finally, one final challenge faces Korean churches: they often suffer from poor leadership and have ignored the importance of spiritual development in youth ministry. There has not been sufficient leadership training among Korean youth leaders. Since I first came to America, I have never heard of any conference for training youth leaders who serve Korean denominations. Without abundant research opportunities or leadership training, quality leadership is becomes difficult to find and sustain. Many Korean youth hunger for spiritual nurturing and empowerment. Seasoned and well-educated youth leaders are key to providing youth the spiritual sustenance they desire.
• The best way to end the exodus of Korean American youth is to help the young people develop their own autonomous group within the church. This is called a "church within a church" model: the English ministry forms its own autonomous body within the first generation context. This model helps the church maintain its young members and strengthens the service of the church to its youth. Another way to halt the exodus is to offer youth a vision for missions. Serving others is a great way for young people to find purpose in and be committed to a Christian youth group.

IMPLICATION

The fruits of branching out are many. Numerous Korean-American churches, rich in many resources, are developing into pan-Asian and multiethnic congregations. One such church, Boston's New Covenant Church, began as a Korean-American congregation. Today it is a vital family of 350, offering ministries to many races and generations.

Moonbong Yang cCYS

A model of youth ministry for Korean youth.

OVERVIEW