Building Support Systems: Synod Youth Reflect on the Church
“Building support systems” was identified as an opportunity that the church has by one of our young people. Gathering out at Imago Dei Village for a retreat to build relationships, develop leadership, and make plans for the synod youth gathering, the synod youth team started with some listening through a couple of SWOT analyses. SWOT is an acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. We asked two questions of them:
Reflecting on your experience, what are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of being a teenager these days?
Reflecting on your experience, what are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of being the church these days?
While listening to music, our students reflected on what they’ve seen and felt as they’ve navigated the joys and challenges of life and faith. This blog post gives us all a chance to listen and to reflect for ourselves: how can we, the church, continue to support young people as they grow in faith and life? How can we, the body of Christ, better understand ourselves to maximize opportunities and minimize threats?
Journey with Jesus 2026 will take place January 20-22nd. Please keep the synod youth team in your prayers as they plan for a meaningful experience and continue to grow together as a team!
