This imagined dialogue about engaging youth in the church’s work includes active and inactive young adults of St. Barnabas Lutheran Church. The comments are based on the 2005 report, “Why Young People Leave WELS.”

Nate (inactive teen): Pastor, there’s something I’m a little worried about.

Rev. James (St. Barnabas’ pastor): What’s that, Nate?

Nate: We have been given a wonderful opportunity to express ourselves here at this retreat . . . but what’s going to happen back in the congregation?

Abby (college student, attends when home on weekends): Yeah, it seems like everything is focused either on grade school kids or on adults. Young people sort of get lost in the middle.

Steven (college student, attends occasionally): I’m sure the church could do more . . . but if young people aren’t active in the church, we have to accept much of the blame for that ourselves. High schoolers and college students have so much else going on. We’re not always motivated to be involved in the church as much as we could be.

Jacki (inactive member, in her 20s): That’s also true for us 20-somethings who didn’t go to college.

Riley (recently confirmed youth): I started going to youth group, but I punted because it seemed mostly an excuse to go bowling and eat pizza. I do that with my friends from school already. Get-togethers in church were kind of lame.

Gina (active teen): If the church is going to have programs for youth, they should be ministry programs. Challenge us with deeper spiritual issues than pizza. Have confidence in us and give us something important to do. We don’t want to be treated like we’re still fourth-graders.

Mrs. Bonita (Sunday school teacher): That’s a great thought. God entrusted some young people with vital roles in his work. David was barely more than a boy, and he stood up to Goliath when none of the men of Israel would.

Erin (college student, training to be a Lutheran school teacher): And Mary was likely still a teenager when God chose her to be the mother of the Savior.

Rev. James: We do need to recognize that young people are as much a part of the church as are their parents and other adults. No persons in the congregation can be told that their involvement doesn’t matter. That would be like one part of your body not wanting participation by other parts of your body—like your eyes telling your hands, “I don’t need you!”