Challenging the Youth towards Mission

On April 17, 2021 afternoon, another public lecture was held through webinar via zoom and Facebook live. Two speakers were invited, Ms. Joyce Pilapil, Ph.D. founding president of Alliance of Resilient, Authentic, and Agile Leaders, International (ARALin) and Ms. Jessica Joy Candelario, Ph.D. from CICM- Bukal ng Tipan. The topic was about “Challenging the Youth Towards Mission”.

Dr. Pilapil presented the State of World Mission, Reasons why young people are leaving the Church, why young missionaries leave the field prematurely? She also presented the “Four-Phase Method” approach: 1) Reaching and retaining: What attracts young people to go to Church and make them stay?; 2) Receiving and creating: What are the key principles that are necessary to create mission-interest aspiration for young people?;  3)  Building up and broadening: What steps should be taken to keep young people’s commitment for mission stronger?; 4) Empowering and enabling: How churches can empower and encourage youth to go forward as they partner with them in the Mission of God?

Dr. Candelario shared a topic on “The Filipino Youth and the Church in the Pandemic”.  In her talk, she shared her reflection on youth and how the pandemic stories are opening pathways towards a new way of being church. She shared her reflections on 1) “Youth Stories: The Cries the Shape Church”: Stories of young people during pandemic and how their cries reveal wounds and their full field experiences about the future of the church; 2) “Soldiers prepared for the battle”: Looking at the pandemic as a new kind of war facing throughout the world; 3) “Youth challenging church towards mission”: For greater mission during pandemic and beyond.

There were around fifty participants who joined in this webinar.