THE ROLE OF CHRISTIAN YOUTH IN EVANGELISM IN TERTIARY INSTITUTION

THE ROLE OF CHRISTIAN YOUTH IN EVANGELISM IN TERTIARY INSTITUTION: A CASE STUDY OF SELECTED CAMPUS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA.

ABSTRACT

Evangelism is a basic mission of the church. Spreading the gospel is very crucial for the growth of the church and whereby the youth are more vibrant, and this is the age of internet communications, evangelism can be made easy though the use of various platforms. The aim of this study was to determine the role of Christian youth in evangelism in the University of Abuja. This study made use of the survey method and the questionnaire was the major instrument in gathering data. A total sample size of 120 was derived using the convenience sampling method out of which only 100 were valid. The findings of this study revealed that the Christian Youth in the University of Abuja participate actively in church activities and where there is a lack of evangelism, the growth of the church is impaired. Also, it was revealed that majority of the youth prefer other church activities to evangelism.

The Christian youth should be enlightened on the importance of evangelism for the growth of the church, Also, leaders of the church should not cajole or force the youth to participate in evangelism as it may have an opposite effect and the youth should look for other means to make evangelism much more creative other than walking from place to place to preach, social media platforms can be used.

THE ROLE OF CHRISTIAN YOUTH IN EVANGELISM IN TERTIARY INSTITUTION: A CASE STUDY OF SELECTED CAMPUS CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP, UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Evangelism is a basic mission of the church, according to even a cursory study of the New Testament. Despite the various obstacles we have in this century, Jesus’ mission provides us with a faultless evangelistic model from which we may learn. Jesus mentioned evangelism at least five times following his resurrection, according to Billy Kim. (1) This alone supports the idea that evangelism is a vital activity that the church is supposed to engage in. Evangelism is described as the proclamation of the gospel, which is a divinely inspired message. It is a message that cannot be defined in words, but must be transmitted by the force of words. “For our gospel came not unto you only in word, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and with much assurance,” wrote Apostle Paul. (2) Reisinger noted that the message begins with knowledge and progresses via explanation, application, and invitation. The material explains how God, our creator and judge, made his son a flawless, capable, and willing rescuer of sinners out of pity. The invitation is God’s call to humanity to come to that savior in faith and repentance, and find forgiveness, life, and peace.3 Coleman has attempted to engage seriously with Jesus’ ministry as a model for evangelism, but the lasting impression one gets from his writings is that it is as much an expression of modern pragmatism as it is a serious appropriation of the ancient Gospels. (4) Coleman’s work demonstrates that the norms of current academic theological study operate against meaningful research in the subject. (5) We profess Christianity as our faith, yet many of us haven’t bothered to understand the religion’s foundational scriptural facts. Many of us go to church on a regular basis, but it appears that this hasn’t made us any less likely than our non-churched peers to participate in immoral activity. We claim to be Christians, yet we don’t always demonstrate love to people who don’t share our religious beliefs. We claim to be believers, yet we may simply be assenters. (6) We claim to be glad for the good news that Jesus delivered, but we are frequently curiously hesitant to tell people about it. In a normal day, the average individual spends approximately 25 times as much time in front of the television as they do in evangelism. According to Dennis J. Mock, evangelism is the church’s top priority when it comes to reaching out to the lost world of unbelievers. (7) However, some scholars argue that churches’ desire to engage in grassroots evangelism is still relatively low. (8) Young individuals are full of vitality and excitement. They aren’t scared to be unconventional. They have a lot of spare time, especially during the summer. As a result, they are a valuable asset to the church. Any attempt to establish a cohesive evangelistic idea that will be useful in the present must consider, if not prioritize, the youth. Youth must be taught that Christianity is more than just sitting quietly in church and being amused at youth group. Young people who have had a genuine contact with the living God will be eager to accept this challenge.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Today’s youth make up the church’s biggest and most energetic body. Given the enormous number of youth in the church and their active involvement in it, one would expect the young to be at the forefront of all church activities. Except for evangelism, it appears that the youth are drawn to all other church activities. Many young people may be found in singing groups or learning to play a variety of musical instruments. When it comes to evangelism, however, there is little excitement. Any church that ignores the youth when it comes to the basic mandate of evangelism will be making a huge error. The youth are a valuable resource in terms of numbers and vitality, and they should be in the forefront of the church’s fulfillment of its destiny above all else.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The primary aim of this study is to determine the role of Christian youth in evangelism in the University of Abuja. Thus, the following objectives;

1. To determine whether youth indulge in church activities in University of Abuja.
2. To determine whether lack of evangelism affects the church growth on the campus.
3. To determine whether youth prefer other church activities other than evangelism.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following questions guide this study:

1. Do youth indulge in church activities in University of Abuja?
2. Will lack of evangelism affect the church growth on the campus?
3. Do the youth prefer other church activities other than evangelism?

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will be significant as it will bring to the fore an awareness on the necessity of youth evangelism on the campus in the University of Abuja and also to other tertiary institutions that have churches. This will assist the campus church leaders in understanding the church activity preference of youth and how to persuade the youth to indulge in evangelism.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will only cover the Christian youth in the University of Abuja. The youth preference of church activity will also be looked into and the consequence of lack of evangelism on the growth of the church.

1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

This study will be limited to only Christian youth in the University of Abuja. Also, during the course of this study, the researcher was faced with insufficient time to sample more individuals, however it will not impair with the results of the data gathered.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. EVANGELISM: In Western Christianity, evangelism is most closely associated with the proclamation of the Christian message. When asked to describe evangelism, most Christians would readily interpret it as the announcing, conveying, or proclaiming of the Christian message to people who are not Christians. This is supported by dictionary definitions in both the United Kingdom and North America. Evangelism is defined as “the proclamation of the gospel; specifically the presentation of the gospel to individuals by such techniques as preaching, teaching, and personal or visiting programs,” according to Webster’s third International dictionary. Evangelism is defined as “the preaching or proclamation of the gospel” by the Oxford English Dictionary. The word evangelism’s origins and semantic connotations support this viewpoint. Evangelism is derived from the Greek verb euangelizomai, which means “to bring or declare good news,” while gospel is derived from the Greek term euangelion, which simply means “good news.”
2. YOUTH: A period of transition from childhood reliance to adulthood’s independence. As a result, youth as a category is more flexible than other set age categories. However, the most straightforward method to categorize this group is by age, especially in terms of education and work, because “youth” is frequently used to refer to those between the ages of leaving compulsory education and obtaining their first job. For statistics purposes, the United Nations defines “youth” as individuals between the ages of 15 and 24, without regard to other Member states’ definitions. CHRISTIAN YOUTH IN EVANGELISM IN INSTITUTION

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