'Youth Service': Attend or No?

[TheThirdandReformedAdam]

Several of you may be aware of the particular situation I am in regarding the church I attend (i.e. its significant doctrinal struggles and God's grace of improvement). This Friday night (my church has service on Sunday morning and Friday night) the church is having what it is calling a 'youth service.' By this, the church seems to mean a youth-centered service (the music will be much more 'youth-driven' (I expect some rather intense contemporary music), youth are being invited from many local areas, and the sermon will be focused towards them). I sincerely don't know how to feel about this. In all honesty, I don't feel good, but I can't tell if that's because there is something really wrong here, or simply because I'm a grouch who hates not getting his way. I would assume my nervousness primarily comes from the thought that the church could simply change the service to match the 'youth's needs' without skipping a beat. I can't remember where I heard this from, but I remember a minister once saying: 'If the youth are the excitement of the church, that's a sure sign of a dying church.' So, in short, should I attend this service (which, I fear, may be more of a music festival)? Is it unthinkable to attend? To miss?

 

[Hamalas]

This isn't Lord's Day worship. I'd skip it.

 

[Jack K]

I don't feel good, but I can't tell if that's because there is something really wrong here, or simply because I'm a grouch who hates not getting his way.

I don't wish to comment on a specific church's decisions, but...

For many of us, much of the time, the answer to this question is "both." There often is something wrong going on, but it's also true that we are grouches who want to get our way. It's important that we deal with our grouchiness toward the church even if the church is indeed making a mistake.

 

[Edward]

This isn't Lord's Day worship.

So I don't see any problem with going, if you like loud rock music.

 

[TheThirdandReformedAdam]

So I don't see any problem with going, if you like loud rock music.

I guess my issue there is they aren't treating it like a music festival. The church doesn't count worship on the Lord's Day as being any different from a Friday night, so I fear that Friday night is receiving the same degree of reverence in their eyes as Sunday worship.

 

[johnny]

I won't comment your churches decision, but I really did appreciate the Baptist Youth Group that we attended on Friday nights. It really did keep us out of trouble and away from many of the bad influences that were around. I was not a church member at the time, but I have many happy memories of the games nights and progressive dinners. We didn't bother with music or dancing, it was mostly playing games or going to Macca's or playing spotlight outside, There was always something happening.

 

[johnny]

Just wanted to qualify that I was between the ages of 14 to 18 when I started attending the youth group. I do have a soft spot for this kind of thing.

 

[earl40]

In all honesty, I don't feel good, but I can't tell if that's because there is something really wrong here, or simply because I'm a grouch who hates not getting his way.

No doubt you may be angry but do not allow this to turn into grouchiness that rules over your life in your congregation. I say this from experience, in that at my local gathering I have a very many occasions to turn grouchy in my "Presbyterian" church. I fight the compulsion towards grouchiness, knowing love covers a multitude of sin, which includes my propensity to be grouchy.

 

[ZackF]

Several of you may be aware of the particular situation I am in regarding the church I attend (i.e. its significant doctrinal struggles and God's grace of improvement). This Friday night (my church has service on Sunday morning and Friday night) the church is having what it is calling a 'youth service.' By this, the church seems to mean a youth-centered service (the music will be much more 'youth-driven' (I expect some rather intense contemporary music), youth are being invited from many local areas, and the sermon will be focused towards them). I sincerely don't know how to feel about this. In all honesty, I don't feel good, but I can't tell if that's because there is something really wrong here, or simply because I'm a grouch who hates not getting his way. I would assume my nervousness primarily comes from the thought that the church could simply change the service to match the 'youth's needs' without skipping a beat. I can't remember where I heard this from, but I remember a minister once saying: 'If the youth are the excitement of the church, that's a sure sign of a dying church.' So, in short, should I attend this service (which, I fear, may be more of a music festival)? Is it unthinkable to attend? To miss?

The whole aesthetics thing aside I wouldn't have a problem attending if I wanted to go provided the service wasn't set up as a alternative to Sunday worship. If that is a case it's a no go for me. What you describe sounds more like an evangelistic service for believers to bring friends to. There are no problems with that just don't confuse it with the gathering of the saints on the Lord's Day.

 

[Herald]

Several of you may be aware of the particular situation I am in regarding the church I attend (i.e. its significant doctrinal struggles and God's grace of improvement). This Friday night (my church has service on Sunday morning and Friday night) the church is having what it is calling a 'youth service.' By this, the church seems to mean a youth-centered service (the music will be much more 'youth-driven' (I expect some rather intense contemporary music), youth are being invited from many local areas, and the sermon will be focused towards them). I sincerely don't know how to feel about this. In all honesty, I don't feel good, but I can't tell if that's because there is something really wrong here, or simply because I'm a grouch who hates not getting his way. I would assume my nervousness primarily comes from the thought that the church could simply change the service to match the 'youth's needs' without skipping a beat. I can't remember where I heard this from, but I remember a minister once saying: 'If the youth are the excitement of the church, that's a sure sign of a dying church.' So, in short, should I attend this service (which, I fear, may be more of a music festival)? Is it unthinkable to attend? To miss?

Since it's not Lord's Day service, I believe you have freedom of conscience on the matter. Beyond that your type of question is difficult to answer because it's not possible to address any/all back stories.

 

[SolaScriptura]

I guess my issue there is they aren't treating it like a music festival. The church doesn't count worship on the Lord's Day as being any different from a Friday night, so I fear that Friday night is receiving the same degree of reverence in their eyes as Sunday worship.

And yet they're doing it on a Friday night rather than on a Sunday morning. I say kudos to them for at least making that decision. You're not bound to go, but I certainly wouldn't skip it if it was your normal routine to go on Friday night.

 

[RamistThomist]

I can count on one mutilated finger all of the good (meaning: objectively well-done) youth services I went to (and when I was in "youth group" I hated these services).

 

[earl40]

So I don't see any problem with going, if you like loud rock music.

And wish to encourage such as being a service in the proper sense? I personally would advise not attending because of the OP conscience which I believe is being formed accordingly.

 

[Edward]

And wish to encourage such as being a service in the proper sense?

I'm not non-instrumental EP, so at that point, the tunes become a preference. (The words are a different matter - there is nothing acceptable in the 'Jesus is my boyfriend' genre, no matter what the tune).