A strategy for retaining the youth in Betel Seventh-day Adventist church, Huambo, Angola

Abstract

This research has investigated and identified the dropping out of church and the low attendance of youths at Bethel Seventh-day Adventist church programs. What prompted the research were the reasons that the youth themselves gave of their low participation in church as lack of interesting programs for church members. Surveys carried out among the youth of ages 16-30 discovered possible causes were among them lack of programs that engaged and allowed youths to participate in church programs. The church ought to realize that the future and the strength of the church is assured only if they have programs that focus on youth retention. This project set out to establish and carry out a program that involved training and equipping the youth to become responsible Christians and leaders in the church, increase their church participation and attendance. Literature from the Bible and other authors clearly indicated examples of how youth participated in spiritual matters. The Bible has examples that include Joseph, whose childhood education and training raised him to high ranks in Egypt (Exod 40). Esther, who eventually became Queen in Persia during the time of the reign of Ahasuerus (Est 2). Daniel and his friends in Babylon are another good example. Proverbs 22:6 alludes to this when it says “train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” The study set out a program that involved participation of the youth of ages 16-30 in the church. It included the following: teaching the youth on topics such as: Stewardship, Life Style, HIV/AIDS, Blood donation and door to door witnessing on Sabbath afternoons. This program was a success as it increased the participation of youth in church programs, created high interest in church activities and they also felt that there spiritual needs were catered for. Youth church attendance and membership increased from 50 to 78. Forty-one of them were baptized at the end of this program.