New Focus on Youth & Young-Adults

In the Parable of the Talents found in Matthew 25 we hear about a wealthy master who goes away on a journey and entrusts three stewards with his wealth. To the first he gives five talents, to the second he gives two talents, and to the third he gives one talent.

The first and second stewards, motivated by their desire to please their master, put their money to work and doubled the wealth their master had entrusted to them. The third however, motivated by self-interest, fear and mistrust, did nothing with the talent and did not increase what his master had entrusted to him.

The first two were accordingly entrusted with more of the master’s wealth and invited to share in the blessings of the master’s house.

The third however had the single talent removed from his care, and he himself was removed from the master’s house.

One of the applications of this parable is as a reminder to us, as servants of Jesus, that we are being invited to use our “talents,” our lives and the resources and abilities God has given us, for the good of the master’s household and for the love of the master.

Over the past few years, the Church of the Lutheran Brethren has realized anew the call to honor what God has entrusted to us in our youth and young adults.

This fall, NAM sponsored our first two Youth Cohort groups. “How do I talk to others about Jesus?” was led by NAM director Brandon Pangman. “How do I lead others in Worship?” was led by Pastor Matt Schweitzer.
 
With around 17 participants, the two cohorts met weekly during the fall, diving into their respective topics and giving students the chance to ask questions and find answers.

I reached out to some of the students about the cohorts, and the following is a description of their experiences. It’s encouraging to see how God is moving in their lives.

Ellie Cagle was part of the “How do I lead others in Worship?” cohort. Though she has been helping lead worship for four years, the cohort has encouraged her faith and reminded her that “Every day, everywhere we go, we are worshiping something.” She was reminded that “People are what make up a church, not the building,” and that as a worship leader she is invited to step outside the doors of her church and live her worship publicly.

Lauren Krause, who was part of the same cohort, said that joining the cohort has altered her perspective on worship. She said, “Being a young worship leader isn’t always easy. Sometimes I worry about not being able to hit the right note or worry if I’m not leading the congregation the best I can. But none of that matters. The worship isn’t about us, it’s about God. The Lord doesn’t want anything more than our worship.”

Austin Iverson was part of the “How do I talk to others about Jesus?” cohort. The cohort encouraged him to explore some of the more difficult questions that he may face while sharing his faith. Austin went on to note that he has also been reminded that learning to share his faith was not primarily an intellectual exercise. He said that one of the most impactful elements of the cohort had been learning to lean into healthy relationships with the people around him and to share his story as a friend.

While we are still learning, this has been an encouraging first round of cohorts for North American Mission, and we are excited to announce that this spring we plan to host at least two new cohorts, the topics of which will be announced in the coming weeks.
Consider this alongside the Rooted Gap Year program which is heading into the second semester of its inaugural year, the NAM Mexico mission team tentatively planned for March 2025, the Youth Convention planning team preparing for Elevate 2026, and several other youth and young adult initiatives in the works. We hope that you will join us in praying for our youth and young adults and that we as a body will use our talents for the good of the Master’s household and for the love of the Master.