When a youth accepts a ministry, it changes his life. How young people can deal with the joys and challenges of being a minister is what a roundtable discussion at the IYC wanted to clarify.

The Empowerment Center in Hall 7.1 dealt with the question of how young people can be enthusiastic about Christ in the long term, and be motivated to participate in the Church. For this purpose, workshops were held, which culminated in a panel discussion attended by Apostles and District Apostles. One workshop topic was "Young ministers". First, the participants discussed two questions in pairs: "What positive experiences did I have?" And "Where was it sometimes critical, where does it crunch?" The result was a colourful mix of answers: "Experience the praying church" stood on a flipchart, "A different relation to the brothers and sisters through care of the souls" on another. The divine services are experienced more intensively, if there is the possibility that one is asked to assist, it was said.

Master difficult situations

Time management, the balance between everyday life and the Church, is one of the biggest challenges young people face, the participants agreed. Of course, young people also want to party in the evenings, and many have a busy schedule. Nevertheless, being fit on Sunday mornings and freeing up time for the Church during the week is not always easy.

But young ministers have concerns that go much deeper. "There are brothers and sisters who are role models in the faith for me and were already my Sunday school teacher. How should I preach to those with my 21 years at the altar?", asks Max from Munich in the round. Many seniors are very happy with every new minister, it was said. But especially as a young ministers, one has great respect for these brothers and sisters - and the concern to live up to his ministry.

What's next?

At the end of the discussion, there were four wishes on the flip chart:

• Better communication. In addition to a general description of what the tasks of a minister are, anyone who wants to accept a ministry should be informed about what his concrete task in his own congregation will be. Because a Deacon in a 300-member congregation is used differently than one who serves in an 80-member congregation.
• Better introduction. An internship for ministers, a mentoring system or similar was requested by means of which the minister would be introduced in detail to his future task.
• Support on the topic of time balance, clear communication of capacities and showing relief possibilities.
• Women's ordination. It would be the logical next step, according to the roundtable, but it should be done for the right reasons. It should not happen that women were only to receive a ministry because too few men are available or just to meet a women's quota. If theologically and liturgically speaking there are no arguments against the ministry for women, then women should be ordained, if they are requested and called by God - as currently is the case for men.

This afternoon, Elena, the only woman in the group, brought these requests as an ambassador to the final round of the Empowerment Center.