Author: MASadmin

For those following, this is the draft for the second resolution that the youth and young adults are putting forward at this assembly. It covers the 25th anniversary capital campaign and asks for a new goal to be added to it. It was crafted by a young man named Smith and others, who, like me, are rocking #AreYouWithUs t-shirts today. Follow us on Twitter, hashtag #AreYouWithUs, to see what we are up to.

Recognizing that

The theme of the 2013 ELCA CWA is “Always being made new,”

The ELCA has repeatedly insisted on the importance of young adult and youth leaders,

Lay young adult and youth have a strong desire to make their voices heard in the national church,

The eight priority goals of the 25th Anniversary Campaign build on existing programs and missions of the ELCA,

New action is needed to revive the church,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT

the recommendation for assembly action on the 25th Anniversary campaign be amended by adding the following text after paragraph 4, which ends “completion of the campaign,”

To instruct the Church Council to add an additional campaign priority of encouraging, recognizing, and forming lay youth and young adult leaders,

to add an additional $4 million campaign goal specifically for the formation, recognition, and encouragement of lay youth and young adult leaders in the ELCA,

to direct the Congregational and Synodical Division to form a committee to design new projects, programs, and events for this purpose,

to include among those on that committee lay youth and young adult leaders recommended by ELCA campus, youth, and outdoor ministers, as well as leaders from ELCA affiliated and/or associated youth and young adult organizations, and

To charge that same committee with oversight and dispersal of allocated funds and to search for new ideas and fresh voices emerging in the church.

Big day. Big, big day. A resolution for immigration reform, passed. Five ballots to elect the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton as our first female presiding bishop. And I worked on the language for a resolution, led by a young adult named Daniella, to modify the budget and focus on raising up lay youth and young adult leaders. The text, in draft form, was just submitted. It is one of 3 resolutions pertaining to this cause that have been submitted. We’re also ready to make amendments if necessary. Below is the text for the budget one. My first attempt to work on, and be part of, a resolution in any bigger-than-my-local-church event. I’m posting it here to share what we are talking about.

Whereas, section 5.01.i of the Constitution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, states “As a steward of the resources that God has provided, this church shall organize itself to make the most effective use of it’s resources to accomplish its mission;” and

Whereas, the theme of the assembly is “Always Being Made New;” and

Whereas, 30% of the millennial generation consider themselves as a NONE and are not affiliated with any church and that number is expected to grow; and

Whereas, vocation is multilayered and no one approach towards leadership formation speaks to all young adults and youth; and

Whereas, there is a new generation of youth leaders who are not called towards global missions or called to formation as rostered leaders; and

Whereas, dedicated and numerous Youth and Young Adult leaders throughout the church, synods, and congregations, seek resources and a network to continue to be the body of Christ in the world; and

Whereas, 17% of the Churchwide Voting members gathered here are 30 and under; and

Whereas, there is a need for growth in Youth and Young adult ministries at all levels; and

Whereas, new ideas, leadership, and growth are always needed in the church; and

Whereas, evangelism is a continuous, formational, and life long process; and

Whereas, Christ calls each of us by name in our baptism, no matter our age, journey in life, education, social class, race, gender, or sexual orientation; and

Whereas, there is a growing need to revitalize programs that are focused and led by youth and young adults; Therefore, be it

Resolved, that $100,000 dollars be found in the Congregational and Synodical Mission budget and reallocated to the Youth Ministries and Young Adult Ministries in the amount of $20,000 and $80,000 dollars respectively, to revitalize old programs and promote new programs that encourage the formation of lay youth and young adult leaders in the church.

My last post said I am no longer a young adult but after the response I just saw with my peers, I will at least be one for this assembly. The thoughts and feelings behind my last post was felt by others. A Facebook page for all the young adults here got some traffic. Posts were made. Concerns over the lack of financial support in the budget and the giant fundraising campaign for young adults and youth was noticed by many. Over 20 young adults gathered at lunch to talk about it. I think our voices were raised. Needs and wants were expressed. We decided to not let this assembly go by and not back up their language with actual concrete support was made. We’re gathering, moving, and resolutions and amendments are being drafted asking the assembly to put their money where their mouth is. I am excited. This is great. We’re asking the church, using a spoof of what Bishop Hanson said often yesterday: are you with me? We’re asking the church #areyouwithus. Will you support lay adults in the ELCa by financially backing a nationwide organization designed and run by the under 30.

At opening worship last night, Bishop Hanson preached on Ezekiel and the dry bones. He challenged us to hear, see, be, and lead by ‘rattling some bones.’ The youth have taken up the call. We’re going to see what happens next.

What follows below is a reflection on day 1 of the ELCA Churchwide assembly. We’re celebrating our 25th anniversary as a denomination. I’m writing this post on an iPad during the second day sessions, so I apologize for any weirdness below.

I have aged out of being a young adult. Let me explain.

I am the voting delegate from the Metro-New York synod who is the young adult representative. In theory, I am the right generation. Since Rachel Held Evans has been tapped to be a speaker for my generation, I consider her to be the bell weather for who is in and who is out. I’m a year younger than her! I should be young! But…I really am not because I no longer fit the mold of what the church defines as a young adult. I’m married, with a kid, and seem to have a direction in my life. I’ve graduated, in a sense, from the (partially class-based view) in what it means to be a young adult. And that’s fine. But I really do not get what the church is trying to do with young adults.

After the first day, which involved iPad orientation (we’re paperless), reading of the rules, and first ballot for presiding bishop, the young adults gathered for dinner together. About 17% of those gathered are considered young adults which is good. It could be higher but it is not terrible. I serve at a youngish church and that’s about the same percentage we get on Sunday. So we sat together at tables, chatted for a moment, started to get to know each other, and then we were put on hold to listen to people talk to us. The presiding bishop said hello, the director for mission spoke, and a few others. And I couldn’t help but feel like it was a salespitch for seminary. The words out of the various speakers seemed to imply that mission is open for young people, that positions of authority are there, that you won’t need an M.Div degree to even lead a church (that didn’t thrill me)! But is was what it always is: hollow. I just don’t by the arguments being made because it is reactionary rather than intentional. And it is still coached in a language for cradle Lutherans or people who already in the system. This works, kind of, in the setting of s Churchwide assembly, but it always sets off red flags for me. It is a language that assumes that young people are, somehow, the problem. We are asked to take charge as if the old guard is just serving because no one will step in. Really. Like really. It is patronizing, silly, and ignores the reality that there is a generation in power and they like being there. Young people are not the problem here.

This is a little ranty but there is just so much wrongness associated with how the leadership views the young. There is a prism rooted squarely in speaking the language of insiders. There is a lack of intentional self-reflection and serious question asking. Instead, there is an anxiety that bleeds into the church’s approach towards young adults. And I think it is an anxiety that infects everything the church is doing right now. We run from fire to fire without asking why the fire keeps happening in the first place. And if there is anything that young adults can feel and be turned off by, it is this kind of inauthentic approach towards identity formation. If this had existed in my home church when I first walked in, I wouldn’t have come back. If it could be felt when I walked in, I wouldn’t have stayed. Conflict and anxiety was there, issues existed, but it wasn’t limiting. It wasn’t scary. It was not defining the church. We need to live through and be comfortable with the anxiety. It cannot dictate what we are doing. We are a people who believe in God, in God’s living on earth, in the Cross and the promise that is Jesus Christ. We say that he will return. We are a people of promised hope! That is our strength and it is not an anxious one; it is a freeing one. So lets be serious and act like it is.

This is something that young adults might not be able to articulate, but we get. We get the anxiety, we understand who is in power, we also know we’re not a problem and if this is how young adults are viewed, then even though I have aged out, I will always be a young adult. I am the outsider. And as I write this, young adults get this. They noticed that the budget of 90 million only included 400k for youth and young adults. There is social media chat advocating for new motions and other such things to emphasize youth. But this isn’t an asking-it is a telling but I don’t know if the leadership will understand the difference.