When Everyone’s Talking About Politics

Oct 9, 2024 | Blog, Featured News | 0 comments

We’ve all been there. Sometimes you can feel it coming from a mile away, and sometimes it comes out of nowhere, but it happens: things get political. As youth workers, it’s important that we learn to navigate “political” conversations because, for better or worse, we live in a world where politics aren’t going anywhere. So, how do we handle it?

The first step is to identify what kinds of “political” conversations are appropriate for a youth ministry setting. Then, we need to get ourselves in the right mindset to approach these conversations without being too heavy handed and pessimistic — an easy pitfall of dealing with such topics.

First, I want to be clear that “politics” DO have a place in youth ministry. Some people think the venn diagram of church and politics are two separate circles, and there is a valid sentiment behind that viewpoint. However, I’d challenge that stance. The Bible IS political. Christ’s teachings WERE and ARE political. And it’s hard to have a genuine conversation about scripture and how we are called to live without at least dipping our toes into the vast ocean of what can be considered “political”.

The reality is the word “political” is a loaded term that means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. I’d like to lay out two different definitions of the word that are often confused.

Sometimes, “political” can mean directly discussing candidates, policies, and party affiliations. This is the kind of “political” I like to veer away from. If a discussion moves in this direction, try redirecting your group back towards your intended topic, or, better yet, narrow in on what comment or feeling triggered that sidebar. Then, walk the conversation back to that point, and attempt to pursue a discussion around that topic without this kind of “political” overshadowing the issue at hand. Easier said than done for sure, but it can be worth the effort to have an enlightening discussion. The last thing we want as youth workers is to run from difficult conversations that our youth are clearly ready to have.

On the other hand, “political” can also mean discussing issues or current events that are also in the political zeitgeist of our time. For example, if I was leading a discussion at youth group about loving others no matter what, a youth might make a connection from that topic to an issue like the acceptance of LGBTQIA+ identities in the church. In this case, the theme we are discussing and the issue brought up ARE connected and, despite that issue being labeled as “political,” we don’t want to discourage youth from making these kinds of connections. We especially don’t want to teach young people to distance the messages found in scripture from real-world issues such as this. Sometimes that means embracing challenging and uncomfortable topics, because they are real and we are living with them.

With this distinction made, it is important that youth workers learn to identify the difference between these two definitions of “political” in order to make on-the-fly decisions about whether to engage with an interesting comment or redirect a conversation from a potentially derailing sidebar.

There are also times when we, as educators, can anticipate a discussion becoming political. Whether it’s election season or the aftermath of a tragedy, it’s undeniable that there are times when you can feel the tension in the air. Youth can feel that tension too, and sometimes they want to talk about it. Especially in the age of information, our young people are less sheltered than ever from the harsh realities of our world. During these times, those of us who work with young people have a responsibility to educate ourselves on these issues and be prepared to have honest conversations about them with our students.

When you do, I urge you to lead with hope. Hope is a gift from God that makes even the most difficult of conversations palatable. Dig deep and find that hope within you so you can share it with the youth in your community. They need it. And you’d be surprised how often leading with hope can turn the darkest of times into a constructive conversation that looks towards progress.

And if you are ever struggling to find that hope, take time to nurture your own spirit. Meditation, worship, and prayer are good ways to start. Reaching out to your support system is even better. If you aren’t sure where to go, PYWA has a database full of Youth Workers eager to connect and support one another. Find your hope. Share your hope. Youth are our future, and there is no future without hope. Lucky for us, we have it in spades-

 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wellbeing and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  Jeremiah 29:11

So, the next time one of your bible studies takes a turn towards relevant and challenging issues that can be construed as “political”, I challenge you to engage with it. Embrace the uncomfortable. Wrestle with reality. Lead with hope.

About the author:

Oliver Page has been doing Youth Ministry, in many different forms, for over 8 years. Currently, he is serving as the Director of Youth Ministry at Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church in Severna Park, Maryland. He spent over 4 years as the Youth Director at Westminster Presbyterian Church in San Jose, California. That experience, combined with 2 years of campus ministry and camp ministry, puts him in a unique position of having worked in Youth Ministry basically since he was old enough to get a job! He has a passion for music, gaming, mission, story-telling and helping young minds open up to new perspectives.