A number of years ago, I was in a Newborn Intensive Care Unit at a large teaching hospital in downtown Chicago. There was a team of medical professionals — neonatalogists, nurses, respiratory therapists — surrounding a tiny premature baby on a crash cart in a code blue situation. The baby had underdeveloped lungs, an immature heart and a host of other problems. The medical team worked feverishly to save the life of this infant. Their efforts were determined, dedicated and heroic. They continued to surround this baby for hours, then days and weeks until he was stabilized and healthy enough to survive on his own.

As members of communities of faith, we are the spiritual equivalent of the code blue medical team. As infants are baptized in our midst, we respond to this question: “Members of the household of faith ... will you endeavor so to live that this child may grow in the knowledge and love of God? Do you as a congregation accept the responsibility of assisting these parents ... and do you undertake to provide facilities and opportunities for Christian nurture and fellowship?”

And we make this covenant: “With God’s help we will so order our lives after the example of Christ, that this child, surrounded by steadfast love, may be established in the faith, and confirmed and strengthened in the way that leads to life eternal.”

And yet, I wonder how much we “walk our talk” and actually surround children and youths in our congregation with love, and help strengthen them in their faith. Consider these statistics from the Board of Discipleship:

Of United Methodist 16-18 year olds, almost 40% indicate that they rarely or never talk to their parents about faith.

For 13-15 year olds, 56% rarely or never talk to their parents about faith issues.

57% of United Methodist youths report never spending time helping the poor, hungry, sick or those unable to help themselves.

Only 32% of United Methodist youths say they feel adults at their church care about them.

52% of United Methodist adults have slight or no interest in spending time with children and youths at church.

We know that “youths stand at the beginning of their adult lives, with many choices before them. They need practical ways to connect faith and life, but these connections can be difficult to make on their own.”

Several national research-based initiatives have sought to answer the question “How can we revitalize youth ministry?” knowing that for the future of the church, “congregations must change how they connect with, relate to and include their young people.” There must be a “different model of youth work in order to unleash the capacity of a faith community to mature healthy youth.”

One of the most powerful concepts in youth ministry is that of mentoring where not just a youth minister or a few volunteers alone, but many adults in a faith community actively “support, empower, provide boundaries, structure, competencies, and positive identities” for youth.

The Search Institute is one of the leading organizations whose mission is to obtain and disseminate knowledge and resources about how to nurture healthy children, youths and communities. For more than two decades, The Search Institute has advocated an intergenerational mentoring program known as “Building Assets.” This approach focuses on positive “building blocks” of development, known as the 40 external and internal assets. Building these assets helps teens and younger children engage in positive behavior and, in a faith community, strengthens their spiritual lives. The Media Resource Center has nearly two dozen training resources from The Search Institute.

Another major initiative called Youth Ministry and Spirituality (YMS) focuses on the development of “mentorship communities” where church members are in groups with three or four teens. The adults are given the opportunity to “reflect on what their own Christian lives are about as they think about how to pass faith on to kids.” The experience is structured to provide an “experiential dynamic” for both teens and adults “where God is alive and real and present in their own lives.”

Finally, the Board of Discipleship published a book entitled, Friends in Faith: Mentoring Youths in the Church. This book outlines many rich benefits for youths in the faith formation process when they are connected to a significant adult outside their family.

When adults work closely with youths in a mentoring structure, adults are also revitalized in their faith and spirituality. “When youths are helped, adults are helped. When parents are helped, the church is strengthened. When the church improves the quality of its ministry, the surrounding community will also be affected.”

The Media Resource Center seeks to provide training and content for youth ministry, as well as resources for congregational revitalization.