Has the pandemic changed the way young people engage with the Bible forever?

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An international consultation on the way Scripture Union teams around the world engage children and young people in the Bible and nurture disciples begins this week. Scripture Union is a network of independent national movements who are working in 130 countries worldwide.

More than 100 representatives from 60 different Scripture Union Movements will join in a three-week online discussion programme, facilitated by Scripture Union International*. The consultation aims to bring together thought leaders, seasoned practitioners, and young influencers, who will spend time listening, reflecting, evaluating, and preparing for the future.

The global pandemic created huge challenges to Scripture Union movements, but it also led to innovation and fresh approaches for reaching out to children and young people.

Drawing on all this recent learning, the consultation aims to explore fresh ways of working, new resources, discussion papers and recommendations on different approaches to engage children, young people, and families in the Bible and how it impacts their lives.

Scripture Union International’s director, Monika Kuschmierz, said, “We’re thankful for the creative and innovative ways in which Scripture Union movements around the world have engaged with the Bible for more than 150 years. The world is changing rapidly, so engaging with the Bible must be reimagined in the light of shifting cultures, developing trends and a volatile yet highly knowledgeable new generation of children and young people.”

“Scripture Union is a dynamic Movement, and the global pandemic demonstrated how we are able to think on our feet, as many new ways of reaching children and young people sprung up around the world. Within six months of the start of the pandemic, about 70% of our movements had moved their activities online, including online camps and clubs, sometimes reaching even more children and young people than the physical events in previous years. We need to continue to embrace change and take risks with new ways of working.”

“We’re very excited about this consultation,” Monika said. “We will be asking key questions around what transformational Bible engagement and active discipling look like today. The consultation will also build on our Bible engagement survey published last year which highlighted the need for us to evaluate our traditional models and innovate for the future, carrying with us what is good and responding to the challenges before us.”

The survey, which was sent to all the Scripture Union movements in 2020, aimed to take the pulse of perceptions, practices, and programs of Bible engagement within Scripture Union and provide a baseline for planning and assessment of plans for the future.

This 2022 consultation will explore how Scripture Union is able to maintain and develop its unique and creative cutting edge in Bible engagement that continues to lead to transformation in thousands of young lives across many different cultures and countries.

“A particular area of growth and challenge is in the digital space, with our core audience being ‘digital natives’”, Monika said. “This will impact on our traditional methods of published materials and challenge our understanding of relational ministry. But we will also look at Bible engagement in restricted areas of the world.”

The consultation, which will run from 14 March – 1 April 2022, will look at the many different areas where Scripture Union teams around the world operate, from camps and schools, to supporting churches and working with at risk children.

Findings and recommendations from the discussions will be announced at a later date.

* Scripture Union International is a UK based charity supporting the network of independent national SU movements in ministry, sustainability and through developing community and partnerships.

The vision of Scripture Union USA is to see people of all ages coming to faith in Christ, committed to God and his Word, and living as salt and light.