MOVING BEYOND COVID-19

MOVING BEYOND COVID-19 IN YOUTH MINISTRY

NEVILLE BARTLEY | SUNZ Youth Team Leader

In this article, I want to share a bit about the physical, emotional, and mental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic felt by youth ministries during the past two years, and the lingering effects as we head into a different future. The effects on Youth Pastors, leaders, and the youth have varied in intensity dependant on the location of the youth ministry. However, even though some areas spent very few days in lockdown compared to others, there have been the equal effects caused by regulations, mandates, and people’s responses to them. As I talked with people across the country it became very apparent that those doing youth ministry in the Auckland region have been affected far more than the rest of the country. To understand this, you only need to compare Auckland’s 107-day lockdown to the rest of the country’s 14 days.

Initially, as people looked back to that first lockdown in 2020, I heard comments like “it provided a space to rest” and “we had to engage in new ways of youth ministry digitally and pastorally.” Some loved the opportunity to work from home, while it drove others a bit crazy. Some embraced the time to connect with their own whānau. There were a few who had only just started in their role as Youth Pastors, lockdown restricted their ability to build personal relationships with their youth. Some youth in lower socio-economic areas didn’t have the resources to engage online, so the leaders had to get creative to stay connected.

Once the novelty of lockdown wore off, the comments about doing youth ministry during this time changed dramatically. Events that would normally only cause a minor disturbance suddenly became very challenging. As the effects of lockdowns wore on, I was greeted with phrases like “zoom fatigue”, “high anxiety”, “physical and mental fatigue” and even ‘burnout”. One of the biggest stress points for leaders and the youth was the changing regulations and the cancellation of events. Leaders often found maintaining connection with their youth the hardest thing to keep going at a level that they thought was good. One Youth Pastor said it became “extremely hard to think beyond today, because why think ahead when it is likely to be cancelled.” Continuous cancellations created what one Youth Pastor called a ‘non-committal mindset' amongst the youth, and this mindset is proving difficult to alter. Some Youth Pastors spoke of being “spiritually lonely”, “feeling emotionally drained” and “physically disengaged.” Many of the groups noticed a decline in numbers and in young people’s desire to engage spiritually. One key obstacle for youth ministries across Aotearoa was the mandated regulations. They created tension, anger, disagreement, and even aggressive outburst from individuals and families. Leaders felt bound by the decisions being handed down to them, while at the same time they empathised with families and individuals differing viewpoints, creating a difficult balancing act. “The tone changed,” one youth pastor said. These issues caused people to leave youth ministries and churches, resulting in even more confusion for the youth. One leader refused to engage when I asked about the effect of the mandates, they didn’t have the physical, emotional, or spiritual energy to discuss with anyone about the rights and wrongs of it all.

CONTINUOUS CANCELLATIONS CREATED WHAT ONE YOUTH PASTOR CALLED A ‘NONCOMMITTAL MINDSET' AMONGST THE YOUTH

Many youth leaders felt unsupported by their own leaders and churches. Anything that impacts on maintaining and building relationships with the youth the ways these issues did is naturally detrimental to youth ministries. Figures around Auckland suggest 3 in every 5 youth have moderate to severe negative mental health. If that is the case, then that needs to totally change how we do youth ministry. Looking at the lingering effects of the pandemic, many are sceptical about the future. Some still find it extremely hard to make plans. Now, with monkey pox and the war on Ukraine, the anxieties of youth and youth leaders are only increasing. Some recognised that the world pre-pandemic was 'already exhausted and experiencing well-being distress.' The pandemic only brought this exhaustion above the surface, and we now face a world without sufficient resources to solve these problems. Nearly every single person has mentioned that we can’t expect to go back to doing youth ministry like we did in the past. It is a new world, a very tired, broken, hurt world. Many groups talked about seeing regrowth and young people who are full of questions and looking for truth. If you have a youth ministry in your church, reach out to its leaders and youth and ask how you can encourage and support them. Please say thank you to the leaders for all they have given, and all they continue to give. The positive side of me thinks we are sitting at an important and exciting point in history where change in how we do youth ministry must occur. However, I am realistic enough to know that it will be slow and painful. I know that many who are currently involved as youth leaders need to be given permission to rest. One final thing our church communities can do to help everyone’s mental health and well-being and that is to forgive one another. Young people will have better mental health and well-being if they are part of a community that is based on love and safety. So, let’s just forgive one another. Let’s work at creating communities where everyone feels safe, loved, and cared for. PLEASE SAY THANK YOU TO THE LEADERS FOR ALL THEY HAVE GIVEN, AND ALL THEY CONTINUE TO GIVE.