Listening, As a Starting Point for Our Conversation
William Lam, Associate Director, Fellowship Department
The Church is always in the world. This does not mean that all churches are necessarily “present” — with a mission and concern for society and the world, referring to the fact that whether the churches intend to or not, they will always be influenced, challenged, and impacted by the world. Hong Kong has experienced dramatic changes in recent years: social movements, pandemics, waves of migration, the explosion of information on the Internet, and so on; their impact, in a visible and inescapable way, is hitting the churches, and especially the younger generation. With attendance at church services declining dramatically, youth absent, and a shortage of young volunteers, what are the thoughts and what are the stories of the young people behind these conditions that the church is experiencing? Building on this concern, FES will conduct a series of surveys, exchanges, and forums, hoping to listen to young people, get closer to their lives, respond to their needs in a practical way, and walk together with them and their churches.
1、Survey on the Faith Conditions of College Believers in Hong Kong
FES recently conducted a “Survey on the Faith Conditions of College Believers in Hong Kong”, inviting believers from different colleges and churches to fill out a questionnaire, aiming to understand more about the thoughts of college believers and their faith conditions through the survey. Conducting a survey in the form of a questionnaire is undoubtedly a quantitative study, yet it is nevertheless a good first step in opening the door to listening. Even for such a step, we encountered a lot of difficulties in the process. For example, when we invited churches to assist in distributing questionnaires, many churches replied that the number of participants in their tertiary fellowships was very small, and some even pointed out that they no longer had any college students in their churches. While such a response is heartbreaking, it also reinforces the seriousness of the situation the church is facing with the loss of youth believers. The results of the survey will be released on FES Day, March 24th. On that day, we have invited young pastoral workers and college students to dialogue and share the results of the survey, hoping that the survey may provide direction and inspiration for further listening and research.
2. Youth Ministry Forum
Further to the release of the results of the March Survey on the Faith Conditions of College Believers in Hong Kong, FES will organize a Youth Ministry Forum on June 10th as a follow-up and response to the survey. The Youth Ministry Forum will involve three parts: 1) Review of the ecclesiastical concept; 2) Study of the results of the survey on the faith conditions of college believers; 3) Workshops for exchanges. It is not only the youth who need to be listened to, but also the pastoral staff who serve in different positions in the church. FES seeks to listen to the voices of young people in the church during difficult times, and to be a support to fellow pastors, sharing, equipping, and encouraging each other through forums and workshops.
3. Their Stories Continue……
While the Survey on the Faith Conditions of College Believers in Hong Kong is a quantitative study, FES anticipates that this questionnaire, completed by tertiary believers, will serve as a starting point to continue to listen to and seek out the stories of young believers. We believe that behind a young believer’s departure from the church, or his or her doubts and struggles in faith, or even giving up of faith, no single reason can be summarized, but rather each person’s unique and complex life story. Therefore, in the future, FES desires to continue to listen to the stories of young believers through qualitative research such as oral interviews, following the direction presented by the results of the survey on the faith conditions of college believers, to let their lives be seen and their stories be revealed.
Caring often begins with listening. Through listening on different levels, FES seeks to truly capture the stories of young believers, not only their stories, but also their stories with the church and with the Lord. Only by listening to their lives can we enter into their situations and respond to the challenges and difficulties of the times together with them.
Full text is available in Chinese version.
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