Too Young to Serve Big?

"Many churches have trouble empowering youth," says Julie O'Neal of the UMC General Board of Discipleship's Division on Young People's Ministries. Highest profile example may be Amy Valdez Barker withdrawing as a nominee for the Judicial Council at the 2004 General Conference after she said a bishop told her the council wasn't a place for young people. In perhaps a more typical local church illustration, O'Neal cites the example of a finance major fresh out of college who would be qualified to head the finance committee, but likely wouldn't be considered because of her age. Sharletta Green, director of campus ministry at the Wesley Foundation at Tennessee State University, adds that too often young people have a fresh idea and then they're stuck with the responsibility of developing it alone. Erin Hawkins, associate secretary of the General Commission on Religion and Race, contends : "The church is still very stoic in its stance that no matter how capable or qualified the candidate, top leadership positions in the church are for those 50 and older." Andris Salter, staff executive for the Women's Division of the General Board of Global Ministries, concludes: "We as a church are guilty of doing what works for us, not for them. And there's still too much 'we've always done it this way.' " [The Flyer, newsletter of the UMC's General Commission on the Status and Role of Women, July-September 2007.]

College Grads More Likely to Keep Faith

Contrary to popular opinion that college ends a young person's faith, a new study from the University of Texas at Austin indicates that college graduates are far more likely to maintain their religious beliefs and practices into early adulthood than those who never attend college. Researchers found the four-year college students and graduates are least likely to neglect church attendance, less likely to say religion is less important in their lives, and less likely to abandon it altogether. Those who do not pursue a degree are the most likely to leave religion behind. Jeremy Uecker, a graduate student and lead author of the study, said the findings suggest that the culture of the nation's campuses is changing."Religious students are encountering a much less hostile environment." [Religion News Service, August 2007.]