Article: Cyberia: Youth Ministry's New Frontier

What if youth ministry were to do its own spinoff of Star Trek NG? We could call it Youthworker Trek. We could explore the "black hole" into which 38 percent of our Adventist youth continue to disappear into (Martin, 1995). Maybe an exciting episode would even venture to the edges of the Adventist galaxy; entering the worlds of the unchurched and non-Christian young person. In what corner of the universe might we find this next generation of youth without Christ? I would guess our space travel would lead to Cyberia (1). The intro for Youthworker Trek could go something like, "CyberSpace, the new frontier. . . going where few youth ministers have gone before."

Techno-Realities of a CyberGeneration

The commercial sector is not lost to the fact that this new generation is nearly as avid about cyberspace as their parents are about television and their grandparents were about radio. "Kids love the internet; it's hot," notes Kathleen Criner of the consulting firm, Criner-Wilson. "Research suggests kids love their computers more than they love their TVs" (Cohen, 1996).

"As TV was to the baby boomers, computers are to the Xers," comments Larry Chase, president of The Online Advertising Agency (Thau, 1995).

Techno-reality clearly points to a young, wired generation populating Cyberia by the tens of millions. Secular corporations have already rocketed into cyberspace, eager to harvest the 100-125 billion dollars Xers will spend annually (Cohen, 1996; Woolward, 1994). The nation's largest communication companies are propelling online components onto the internet to complement their current programming. From cinema to television to radio to magazines to newspapers, almost all have their Cyberian counterpart aimed at reaching screenagers.

Techno-reality also says Xers are hands-on, interactive, and intelligent. Dissatisfied with being passive observers, young people today are looking for involvement and interaction. Compared to other media, cyber-communication is more personalized and relational, whether by audio, video, message boards, chat lines, or e-mail. Online services are quickly becoming the telephone of the 21st century (3). And Xers are intensely interested in this new technology. They have computer savvy. Screenagers wear their techno-telligence like a badge of honor. The internet is their social revolutionary platform (Woolward, 1994).

Finally techno-reality reveals screenagers searching for authentic community. With many of them latch key children, and over 50 percent of their families experiencing divorce, today's youth seek open, genuine relationships wherever such can be found (Martin, 1995). Living in a hostile real-time society often too dangerous, too prejudicial, too superficial and/or too critical, screenagers are building their own relational communities in cyberspace. Even with the perils of the net, many youth and young adults connect with others online, desperately seeking community.

It is clear that secular satellites decorate the cyber sky, selling everything from sportswear to sex. Capitalistic corporations enter cyberspace to vie for Xers pockets. Educational institutions enter the internet to capture techno-surfer smarts. But what about their hearts? Are screenager souls doomed to be lost in space?

Connecting With Christ in CyberSpace?

Over the past year there has been an exponential type growth of churches who have gone online. From a handful of Christian cyber sites a year ago, there is estimated over 6,000 churches who can now be found in Cyberia (Broadway, 1996). Cyberspace provides an excellent central location for Christians from all parts of the world to communicate, create cyber communities, coordinate global projects and evangelism efforts. The internet helps scores of people share/exchange views on Christianity or religion around the globe There are thousands of religious web sites where people congregate to gain knowledge, establish web-traditions, chat, or read about historical and current happenings for their faith community. But interestingly enough, most of these religious sites are not intentionally geared towards Xers. Although there are some cyber locations created for Christian screenagers, very few places in Cyberia are aimed at introducing this new generation to Christ. For those Seventh-day Adventist youthworkers who dare enter the new frontier, a substantial challenge and adventure awaits. Given the paucity of internet websites for youth and young adult ministry and the enormous population of screenagers in cyberspace, the opportunities are infinite. Adventist youthworkers may find the internet beneficial to their ministry in countless ways; Networking, resourcing/planning, research, and evangelism are some of first advantages cyberspace offers them.

Networking. Cyber youthworkers find that the internet allows them to stay in touch with young people and provides avenues through which to support them. Mike Atkinson, webmaster for the youth ministry publishing company, Youth Specialties, asked youthworkers how they use the internet in their ministry. Here are some of the responses he received (Atkinson, 1996):

"I spend extra time with my youth when I help them find information for school papers and projects on the net."

"This is really the spinal cord of our current college ministry, and increasingly the communication network for younger students. E-mail allows instantaneous communication to almost anywhere in the world that has access to the Web. I can send a note to my students here in Houston, or to a college student of mine who is student teaching in Japan within seconds. . . and it is virtually free."

"I started last year keeping contact with college students away from home. I also send out a general e-mail which includes a devotion and any announcements that might interest them. Online services have enabled me to keep in contact with the college kids like never before. In fact, this is the first time our church has been able to sustain a young adult group for more than one summer. It seems that people (myself included) are willing to send e-mail when they don't feel they have time to write or money to call."

Communication and interpersonal contact are a main stay for any successful ministry, and for the cyber-telligent youthworker, the internet provides a powerful communication tool.

In addition, cyberspace allows the youthworker to network with peers. Youth leaders around the world can communicate with each other ("How youth workers," 1996). Discussion groups can be formed centered around specialty youth ministry issues. With the international availability to talk shop, a global perspective of youth ministry can be gleaned. Communicating via cyberspace can be a source of support, accountability, and inspiration for youth ministers.

Resourcing/planning. "I am able to get information on lodging, sites to see, directions, ministry opportunities, etc. from the internet. (Atkinson, 1996)" Given the wealth of information available on the internet, many youth leaders find that they can plan retreats, access speakers/musicians, order materials, and schedule travel online.

The typical youthworker has very limited time, which often does not include reviewing ministry resources. Some may not even know how or where to access youth ministry catalogs. Cyberspace offers a means by which youth leaders can peruse the latest resources, sample products, and read recent reviews on materials they may purchase (Schultze, 1996b).

Research. Clearly youth culture is continually changing and evolving. The internet can help youthworkers be well versed in the latest trends in youth culture and youth ministry. Here is one example:

"Search engines led me to sites and pages with volumes of information helpful in my ministry. For example, I used 'teenagers' as key word, and came across several outstanding articles on youth gangs: recruitment, colors, dress code, rank, etc. (Atkinson, 1996)"

Media companies are online in full force eager to entice Xer consumers online. Right on the pulse of youth culture, media websites ranging from movies, to music, to magazines can educate a youth minister who is willing to surf (Schultze, 1996b).

Evangelism. Following Jesus' model of relational evangelism, youthworkers, who trek into cyberspace, enter the world of the screenager and can there be used by the Holy Spirit to connect young hearts to Christ. Surfing into cyberspace makes a poignant statement to Xers.

Bill Broadway (1996), in his article Religious Groups Great and Small Reach Out to the Believer and the Seeker Through the Internet, comments, "Having a website proves to the new generation of computer-literate faith seekers that a religious institution is serious about reaching out to them."

But if a youth minister comes off smelling like a cyber-televangelist, screenagers will scramble. They can sniff condescension a light year away. Marketing has largely failed with Generation X (Thau, 1995; Woolward, 1994). Those who try to sell religion will quickly find, Xers have the option to delete them from the face of their virtual universe. Vendors are a dime a dozen. Screenagers are seeking sincerity in cyberspace. Genuine concern, blind to the trappings of image, can be a compelling evangelistic launching pad.

In many ways cyberspace is blind; blind to age, color, creed, color, country, social status, and gender. Here Xers have anonymity, giving them to explore and grapple with ideas. Ideas are the commodity by which cyber-relationships are formed. There can be no assumptions about skin color, gender, or socioeconomic status. The safety of such computer-mediated conversation can reduce self-consciousness and promote brutal, sometimes rude, raw honesty (Cohen, 1996). Cyberspace also fosters community between people who might not otherwise meet or chat. Personal relationships in Cyberia can be based on substance rather than physical appearance, popularity, or power. With a real time society so caught up with image, the ideal mirages that are impossible to live up to, cyberspace can be a non-judgmental relational oasis for young people. In such an oasis, relational evangelism can flourish.

CyberResources for Youth and Young Adult Ministries

There is a plethora of resources on the internet that can enhance the ministry of Adventist youthworkers. Although the vast network which is the internet can be rather daunting, skillful use of any search engine will find a wide array of youth ministry sites to surf. Among the more notable engines, Cross search is a search engine dedicated to locating religious sites. With the list of ministry sources continuing to grow, search engines can help one deal with the information deluge (Schultze, 1996a; "Web sites just for you," 1996).

With quickly developing technology, the internet is going beyond mere graphic capability. Other cyber communication abilities are upgrading rapidly. In addition to e-mail, message boards, and online purchasing, many sites now have chat, video, and live audio capabilities. Live video conferencing, distance learning, and other technologies are on the near horizon. Among the best youth ministry resourcing sites is one maintained by Youth Specialties. dre.am VISION ministries offers a selected directory of websites (http://www.ao.net/~bennett/wildweb.html) which are helpful in youth/young adult ministry.

Although the internet provides the Adventist youthworker with an infinite selection of informational and communication resources to choose from, the sheer mass of data can be rather overwhelming. Another route available is to use a subscriber-based online service such as America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy or others. These services provide categorized and targeted interest areas which may prove more manageable for some. Group Publishing offers MinistryNet, which provides subscribing Christian youthworkers with online resources geared towards youth and young adult ministry (4).

Of the various subscriber-based online services, CompuServe has resources that are the most targeted towards Seventh-day Adventists. It has two private forums, Adventists On-line A and B, which are geared towards Adventist members. These are great places to find Adventist-generated resources for youthworkers.

The new Adventists On-line B forum recently set up a special section devoted to youth ministry. It includes a youth ministries message area, library, and conference room. In the message area, youth leaders discuss various topics related to their ministry by posting public messages to each other. Topics discussed in this section range from youth evangelism brainstorming, to teen depression, to youth mentoring. In addition, live chat can be done online. The conference room is a place designated for youth workers to gather and hold live meetings and discuss issues relevant to youth ministry.

The online library has helpful resources. Among them are electronic periodicals, such as XYZ (containing youth and young adult ministry insights) and YOUthNEWS (which communicates goals, plans, and successes of youth ministry in the North American Division). Another helpful resource in the Youth Ministry library is a directory of toll-free phone numbers particularly useful to those involved in youth work.

But Adventists On-line isn't just a great place for youth workers to meet with each other, it's a great place for them to meet with young people. The teens and young adults each have their own sections in forum A, and meet regularly in the main conference room each Sunday evening. In this cyber-community, young people feel free to open up and share what's on their hearts.

In a recent teen online conference, a girl who had attempted suicide that week shared with her peers why she had felt so desperate to end her life. She told what people had done to help her--what they had done right as well as what they had done wrong. When asked by her peers what they should do if a friend threatened suicide, the girl answered, "Don't preach, okay?. . . tell them they're needed. . . wanted."

If you missed this eye-opening conference, you can find it and other conference transcripts in the Teen Talk and Young Adult libraries.

The message areas are also great places to learn from and interact with today's Adventist young people. Issues discussed range from the legalization of pot to the Cutting Edge issues of the Adventist Review.

The Adventists On-line forum isn't all talk, though. There are some great, practical resources available in its various libraries. Soon, the Adventist Review will be available in its entirety as an electronic edition. Other magazines, such as Listen, El Centinela, and Ministry Magazine currently have articles available in the Adventist Magazines library in forum A. Other publications available in electronic format include the Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook, the NAD and GC working policies, and the Church Manual. The organization directory and pastor directory are e-mail address listings that are great resources for keeping in touch with fellow church workers. The news found in the Adventist News library will keep you updated with what's happening with the worldwide church. And, if you are into surfing the net, the list of websites that are of particular interest to those in youth ministry is a valuable resource.

The Youth & Young Adult Speakers/Artists' Bureau lists potential speakers for young adults, high schoolers, and junior high students, as well recommended musical and dramatic artists who cater to young people. Photos of many of these speakers and artists are also available in the Young Adult library, and can be viewed right on your computer screen.

Adventists On-line forums provide an enormous resource for youth ministry, and they are growing more every day. They provide an organized arena of selected resources online for a reasonable price (5).

Even this wealth of resources available to Adventist youthworkers is only the tip of the asteroid in cyberspace. As far as reaching the screenager, especially those outside the Adventist solar-systems, youthworkers haven't even scratched the surface. By dreaming what could be, youthworkers can start to envision the virtual reality of a new frontier.

Dreams and Visions in Cyberia

One vision that has emerged from Adventist Xers is that of a web site created by and geared towards youth and young adults. Via cyberspace, Adventist Xers dream of creating community with their believing peers, but further, look to interact and befriend non-believing screenagers. Think of it, a cyber site by Adventist young people, dedicated to worship, community, and reaching out to their online peers who have yet to meet Christ. Sounds like church, cyber-church that is.

Just imagine Adventist screenagers creating a site that can become a regular cyber-stop for young people. Ideas would be easily exchanged, youth to youth, youthworker to Xer. Youth from Baltimore to Bombay could share conversations and Christ with many others. Student missionaries, with access, would be able surf to the cybersite that would allow them to talk to their friends, share their experiences and stave off homesickness. Maybe parents could chat with their screenager too, at a fraction of the regular phone bill. Links to other websites could put Christian lifestyle resources at the Xer's fingertips, resources ranging from Home Study course sites, to Habitat for Humanity, to a listing of Christian music concert schedules, to colleges, graduate and post-graduate programs. And in the midst of this cyberscape, Adventist youthworkers could be in the mix; encouraging, counseling, nurturing . . . ministering to screenagers.

It's just a dream, but the beauty of this vision is how it illustrates the changing role of the Adventist youthworker in 21st century. Not only does such a concept reach out to non-Christian screenagers, but it also empowers and nurtures Christian Xers to use their talents and build relationships for ministry (Martin, 1995). In cyberspace, youthworkers can do ministry with Xers instead of to them. The vast new frontier calls for team ministry. It calls for community. In cyberspace, youth and young adults can realize their role as ministers and join forces with youthworkers.

Christ-less screenagers are looking for genuine people. They are seeking ideas that build relationships, blind faith that heals the heart, and community that is authentic. Cyberspace dares Adventist youthworkers to team up with believing screenagers, and together fulfil the gospel commission in a new frontier. A cyber universe filled with Christ-less screenagers awaits. Warp 7 to Cyberia? As Captain Picard would say. . . "Engage!"

References

Broadway, B. (1996, September 28). Flocking to the web: Religious groups great and small reach out to the believer and the seeker through the internet. The Washington Post, p. B7.

Cohen, J. B. (1996, April 27). Segmenting the screenager. Editor & Publisher, 82-84, 98.

How youth workers are using online services and what the downsides are. (1996, Winter). Youthworker, 12(3), 46-50.

Martin, A. A. (1995, Winter/Spring). The ABCs of ministry to generations X, Y, and Z. Journal of Adventist Youth Ministry, 5(1&2), 37-46.

Schultze, Q. (1996, Winter). An internet primer: Why you should get online, and how to get there. Youthworker, 12(3), 33-44.

Schultze, Q. (1996). Internet for Christians: Everything you need to start cruising the net today! (Rev. ed.). Muskegon, MI: Gospel Films Publications.

Thau, R. (1995, January/February). Reality bytes. Marketing Tools, 68-70, 74-75.

Web sites just for you: A resource list. (1996, Winter). Youthworker, 12(3), 52-56.

Woolward, I. (1994, December). The care and feeding of screenagers for fun and profit. The Red Herring [On-line] 16. Available: http://www.herring.com/mag/issue16/care.html

Footnotes

1 Cyberia refers to the imaginary, interactive 'worlds' created by computers. It is used interchangeably with 'cyberspace,' 'virtual world,' or 'virtual reality'. Cyberia is the interactive environment where the global community of computer-linked individuals and groups live. Cyberia is derived from 'cyberspace,' a catchword now used synonymously with the internet.
This article assumes the reader has basic knowledge of what the internet is. For those who are clueless, an excellent basic internet primer is:
Schultze, Q. (1996). Internet for Christians: Everything you need to start cruising the net today! (Rev. ed.). Muskegon, MI: Gospel Films Publications.

2 These statistics reflect demographic estimates for the United States alone and do not take into account the world wide youth use of internet services. The statistics are based on data cited in:
Cohen, J. B. (1996, April 27). Segmenting the screenager. Editor & Publisher, 82-84, 98.
Thau, R. (1995, January/February). Reality bytes. Marketing Tools, 68-70, 74-75.
Woolward, I. (1994, December). The care and feeding of screenagers for fun and profit. The Red Herring [On-line] 16. Available: http://www.herring.com/mag/issue16/care.html

3 Anyone who has worked extensively with young people or has raised teenagers of their own will attest to the love affair between teens and the telephone.

4 For more information as to how to subscribe to MinistryNet online service, call 1-800-447-1070, or e-mail GREditor@MinistryNet.USA.Net, or visit Group's website for more details, http://www.grouppublishing.com.

5 To become a Adventists On-line forum member, call 1-800-260-7171 to receive the software package for CompuServe's Adventists On-line (which includes a free month trial membership). The monthly cost for this service is $9.95 for CompuServe and $7 flat rate fee for the Adventists On-line forum. Further information about the forum is available by calling 301-680-6309.

We at dre.am VISION ministries (dVm) admire your efforts to positively impact young lives. Whether a parent, educator, lay leader, or ministry professional, you are a vital resource to our young people. We hope this web site resource directory is a helpful tool in your ministry.

Please keep in mind that it is in no way comprehensive, but serves as an economical way to get support for your ministry efforts. Also remember that dVm only provides you this listing as a resource; dVm does not hold any responsibilities/liability for the sites listed, nor promotes the services of any of the listed resources (unless you ask us). If you have other web sites you think would be good to add to this list, or corrections, let us know via e-mail:

dream_VISION_ministries@CompuServe.com

Where There is Vision,