Messy Spirituality in Youth Ministry

By Dan Marotta

The term “Youth Ministry” is a bit of a misnomer. Unlike specialized ministries that are focused on the isolated needs of individuals, such as ministries to orphans, widows, or AIDS patients; “Youth” ministries, if they are to be successful, must be focused not only on the particular teenager that happens to walk through the doors of the church, but on the family surrounding that young boy or girl as well. For the most part, teenagers have a mother or a father (hopefully both). They probably have brothers or sisters. No young person (in the U.S.) lives in total isolation. These people, who teenagers share their lives with, have a profound influence on the development of their mind, body, and soul. Therefore, to minister to a teenager must include, to some extent, the ministry to the family of that teen.

This would seem a necessity too obvious to overlook, but how often do youth ministries seem to reflect the opposite? Churches these days seem to have a divide and conquer mentality when it comes to ministering to people of different generations; providing the teenagers with their own worship, teaching, missions, and social events.

Enter the Trinity Fellows. They are young, single, full of energy (at least most of the time), fun, and some of the best of their generation. Would it not make perfect sense to have these thirteen bright young adults spending every last minute of their time mentoring and discipling the teenagers of the church? Not quite. Instead the Trinity Fellows Program assigns these men and women to a much more difficult, but much more beneficial task (both for them and for the church). The fellows are required to not only be involved in the lives of the young people in the church, but also in the lives of their families. They get to know seventeen-year-old David as well as his father, Doug. They spend time with thirteen-year-old Alyse and her Mom, Susie. The fellows get into the lives of the families that make up the congregation and everyone benefits. Moms and Dads watch a 23-year-old fellow encourage their son or daughter to respect his or her parents. Kids look up to the fellow that takes the time to have lunch with them and talk about life as a teenager. The fellows get to see Christian parenting in action and experience the body of Christ raising the next generation of believers.

Is it flawless? Does the system run like a well-oiled machine? Heck no. They are just ordinary people trying to live out the Gospel with an extraordinary God. Thankfully Jesus shows up and carries us. The Fellows, during the few months that they are involved in the youth ministry here at Trinity church, have the unique opportunity to be immersed in the multi-generational life of a congregation. It is an experience that blesses those families they serve and hopefully will benefit the fellows for the rest of their lives as we all strive to advance God’s kingdom together.

Dan Marotta is a graduate of William and Mary and current youth director at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville. Dan, in addition to being a challenging and relational person, longs to see students take ownership of their faith and live out of that paradigm.




Another piece of the fellows program, involves members of the Fellows Class serving in some aspect of the youth ministry (children to college students) at Trinity. Fellows learn that ministering out of our true nature involves relying on someone greater than yourself to show up for the building of His Kingdom

A Year of Calling, Discipleship, Service and Community

By Ebony Walden

Like most 20 something’s, I hadn’t figured out exactly what I wanted to do with my life or how to move forward in my faith. My search for guidance in this process lead me to the Trinity Fellows Program. Though all the components of the program: being discipled, mentored, working in the marketplace, living with a Christian family, being a leader in the youth group and seminary classes greatly appealed to me, there were a few things that concerned me. One- I was Baptist and didn’t know what Presbyterian was. Two - I figured Trinity Presbyterian Church was a predominately white, affluent and conservative congregation and I am none of the above, and Three- Charlottesville was a small town and I had spent the last few years prior in DC, Seattle and NY. What would I have in common with this group? I thought.

What rang true in my heart then and now, is Christ. I decided to come to the fellows program as a challenge to my thoughts, personhood and faith and most of all to do something radical in the name of Christ. I began to ask myself: are you willing to follow Christ wherever he leads you? I knew those 9 months would be a hard journey, but I also knew that it would probably change my life. And indeed it has. My year as a fellow was probably the most challenging year of my life. It was nothing less than a culture shock. However, it was full of great experiences and has provided a foundation for which I can live for Christ. I learned invaluable lessons about calling, discipleship, service and community, all of which I would not have had unless I participated in the fellows program.

Calling – Helping to bring redemption to distressed urban areas was what God had placed on my heart, but I didn’t know how that would pan out. Through my work experience and relationship with my mentor, I discovered an interest in urban redevelopment and am currently pursuing a master’s degree in that area.

Discipleship -- What I yearned for most in my young faith was guidance from older Christians, and I can honestly say that I have never had as many mature Christians pour into my life and change my perspectives as in the fellows program.

Service –As fellows we committed 9 months to pursuing a “mission greater than ourselves.” I was unsure of what that mission was at times. As I look back, I realize it’s a call to humility, loving sacrificially and allowing the Kingdom of God to dwell within us so that it can spill out and be the light to the world; at work, at home and in the hard places in our society. We fought the battle of being consumed with self in our service to one another, the youth and in tutoring Abundant Life children.

Community -- Community was a hard lesson for our group, it wasn’t easy, it wasn’t clean and wasn’t microwavable. We all got along well, but it took us almost half the year to break down our walls. Ultimately, we bonded in our prayers for one another, in our laboring together and on our retreats to places like the Faith and Work Conference in NY. In those 9 months, where I felt I had very little in common with those around me, I realized commonality with others by finding my identity in Christ. That was the beginning of an ongoing lesson on how to share my sin, my burdens and myself in a community of faith.

I wish I could say the fellows program was easy, and there weren’t times when I wanted to quit. I was out of my comfort zone and that challenged me to think through hard questions I will probably spend the rest of my life answering about my faith, my life, my identity, my career, my relationships and worldview. I learned how hard it really is to follow Christ, but how awesome it is to walk with God.

Ebony Walden is a distiguished alumna of Georgetown University and a graduate of the inaugural class in the Trinity Fellows Program

I, too, have a Dream

By Kate Beach

My dream consists of the idea of creation and shalom. The way things are supposed to be. No suffering. No injustice. No segregation. No unequal treatment. No abuse or children being stripped of a childhood. We choose to celebrate people’s lives that have had an affect on our nation, but the celebration needs to move beyond speakers who remind us of what someone once did. The celebration needs to move us to a place of non-complacency.

This past Martin Luther King Day I helped coordinate and celebrate the life and mission of Martin Luther King, jr. This man of God chose to say yes to the struggle of fighting non-violently, overcoming segregated odds and opposition from white clergymen to see a nation of equality and justice. As a white believer of Christ and his life’s story, I see that we are missing out on the moral of His story as well as Martin Luther King, Jr. Are we living out of the call for equality in our country and world?

“Things are different now. So often the contemporary church is a weak, ineffectual voice with an uncertain sound. So often it is an arch defender of the status quo. Par from being disturbed by the presence of the church, the power structure of the average community is consoled by the church's silent and often even vocal sanction of things as they are.” Martin Luther King, jr- excerpt from the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

Please do not misunderstand this quote. I do love the church and although I have been a Christian for most of my life I have only recently been able to catch a glimpse of what the church should be. I have seen people who would not otherwise come together lift each other up, pray together, and come together because of a deeper common bond.

I believe this is what Dr. King’s ultimate dream was. Not only did he want people of all different colors to come together but he wanted people to come together with a common bond that transcended color, economic and educational barriers. Dr. King initially did not want the responsibility of leading the civil right movement but since he was called into that position. He was first a human being, believer in Christ, husband and father, preacher then revolutionary icon. Although we are not to be color blind, it is our Christian calling to be first identified as a human, all created in the image of God. This is the lens in which we are to view others. The way God sees us.

So if we were to be revolutionary Christians, as all Christians are supposed to be, we are to be above the influence of our culture and society. A society that still tells us that if you are born in a certain area of the world or with a certain pigment to your skin that you don’t deserve as many opportunities. If we were countering our culture, as we are called to do so, than we would be a church that would be as powerful as the early church. We would be feared for our unrelenting power of love and non-violent fight against injustice. Instead we have become a church of charity. Although generous, we must move to ask God what more we can be doing to CHANGE the way God’s children are being treated in our country and world.

“In the midst of blatant injustices inflicted upon the Negro, I have watched white churchmen stand on the sideline and mouth pious irrelevancies and sanctimonious trivialities. In the midst of a mighty struggle to rid our nation of racial and economic injustice, I have heard many ministers say: "Those are social issues, with which the gospel has no real concern.” Martin Luther King, jr- excerpt from the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

I, too, have a dream

Kate Beach is a graduate of Messiah College with an emphasis in social work, an employee at a local faith based non profit, Charlottesville Abundant Life Ministries, and a current member of the Trinity Fellows Program. Among several passions, she longs to see the holistic redemption of communities.

Another component of the Fellows Program is a job placement in an area of personal interest where one puts the ideas, principles, and education to practice for the benefit of the common good.