 Religious Groups Reach Youth by Setting Aside Space Just for Them
By Rev. Drew A. Dyson (UMCom) -- Driving through Franklin, Tenn., in 1994, Michael W. Smith had a vision. Alarmed by the number of teens hanging out on the town square of this Nashville suburb, the Christian music artist wanted to give them a place to settle. Rocketown, an alcohol- and drug-free dance club, opened within a year in a leased 11,000-square-foot warehouse remodeled by Smith and a few friends. More than 75,000 young people visited the club within its first three years. Ten years later, Rocketown moved to a 42,000-square-foot building in downtown Nashville. The venue now features an indoor skate park, cyber café, art gallery and nightclub featuring a 5,000-square-foot dance floor. The vision for Rocketown - to provide a positive and safe place for young people - has not changed, but its mission has expanded.  | Rocketown’s 42,000 square-foot building located in downtown Nashville is a safe haven for young people to be themselves and grow spiritually. Photo: www.rcktwn.com |
"Our primary purpose at Rocketown is to build relationships between disconnected teen-agers and Christian mentors in order to meet their physical, emotional and spiritual needs," says Matt Grace, Rocketown’s assistant director.
A growing number of congregations and community organizations are developing ministry centers for young people. In rural New Jersey, a small membership United Methodist congregation was struggling with drug and alcohol addiction among its community’s young people. Working with the county government and local YMCA, leaders of Round Valley United Methodist Church in Lebanon began to investigate community-driven solutions. A grant from the county, support from church members and additional donations helped outfit a youth center with video games, computers and stereo equipment. Young people and adults joined together to develop plans for the countywide center that is open on Friday and Saturday nights. Caring adults volunteer their time to provide a safe environment for young people. "If I weren’t here," a 16-year-old confesses, "I’d have a lot of places to be where I probably would get into trouble."  | | Youth celebrate Luke's Lodge on the campus of St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis. Photo: Hoosier United Methodist News |
In suburban Indianapolis, a plan for Luke’s Lodge was born in 2002. Brian Durand, youth director at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, envisioned a youth facility that brought together architecture and ministry. At the same time Durand was working with a youth commission of teen-agers and parents planning the future of the church’s youth ministry. Church leaders soon approached Durand about building a space to house the church’s growing youth program.
Today, Luke’s Lodge reflects the central role retreats play in the church’s youth ministry. Inspired by a typical retreat center lodge, the log-sided building is anchored by a worship chapel that features open views of the wooded outskirts of the church property. "Young people continually related how the most significant spiritual development for them happened on a retreat. We built a building that honored that and sought to create that environment on a daily and weekly basis," Durand said. These youth centers were built because an individual or group had a vision for what God could achieve in the lives of young people. But before considering such a center, look first at the needs and resources of the community. Know the youth - their needs, wants and interests. Take a look at the ministries offered and design a space that reflects those ministries. At Luke’s Lodge, worship is the centerpiece of the church’s youth programming and building. "We looked at other buildings with gymnasiums and skate parks but realized that our primary purpose is to welcome youth into loving, Christ-centered relationships," Grace says. "For us, that happens in worship … and our building reflects that value."  | | The primary purpose of Nashville’s Rocketown is to "build relationships between disconnected teen-agers and Christian mentors in order to meet their physical, emotional and spiritual needs." Photo: www.rcktwn.com |
Don’t get locked into what is possible. Remember, "Nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37) Visit other churches that have designed spaces for youth and fill the imagination with ideas. To develop relationships between disconnected youth and Christian adults, Rocketown uses a skate park, dance club and cyber café. What will attract the youth in your community? What innovation can you offer to draw the young people in your community into the ministry that you seek to offer?
Youth and adults should work together. Teen-agers should be the pilots of the vision, and adults should line up alongside them as co-pilots to make the vision a reality. "When we built the new Rocketown, we wanted kids to know that this was a place where they could move the furniture. This was their home, and they should make it comfortable for them," Grace says. At Luke’s Lodge, more than 150 youth pass through the doors each week. Each one leaves having encountered the love of Christ. In New Jersey, young people gather on Friday nights and play Trivial Pursuit with two adult volunteers. When they walk out the doors, they pass the familiar United Methodist cross and flame and know this church cared enough to open its doors. In Nashville, skaters flock to Rocketown to break in the equipment, and music lovers gather for live concerts. But for Grace, the greatest joy is when a young man who doesn’t skate comes into his office to spend an hour talking about the pains and joys of life. "That one conversation makes every square foot of this building worth it," he says. Rev. Drew A. Dyson is the Associate Pastor of Clinton United Methodist Church in Clinton, NJ. He formerly served as the Executive Director of the Shared Mission Focus on Young People of The United Methodist Church. This feature was developed by UMC.org, the official online ministry of The United Methodist Church.
| 
