Will you who witness these vows do all in your power to support these persons in their life in Christ?
We will.
(2019 BCP, p. 165)
At every baptism, we commit ourselves to support the baptized person, whether they are an adult or a child. So, let me ask you an awkward question. Have you? Let’s think about your children and young people in particular. Can you say with integrity that you have done all in your power to support the baptized young people in your parish?
If your answer is, “No,” you’re not alone. I know I often fail at this commitment, and I’m a next generation minister! There is a gap between our “we will” and what we actually do for the faith of this generation.
So, how can we close this gap?
Today, I encourage you to begin with a dangerous prayer. Now, every prayer is potentially dangerous. Prayer is a faithful response to the presence, will, and way of our Lord Jesus, and he will lead us into bold and sometimes dangerous calls to action. He may ask you to surrender your treasure. He may ask you to surrender a desire. He may call you to surrender your future plans and present comfort for the sake of someone else hearing the Gospel. But remember: the danger isn’t what Jesus calls us to do. The danger is disobeying and finding yourself out-of-step with Jesus.
So, what am I asking you to pray? Every day, I encourage you to pray, “Holy Spirit, help me see young people as you see them.”
Why is this prayer so dangerous? When I’ve prayed this prayer, the Barna statistics about Gen Z and Gen Alpha melt away. My anecdotal interactions with teenagers, it turns out, don’t reveal the full picture. Instead, I begin to see every young person as the Father sees them, at least in glimpses. In other words, we can’t pray this prayer and be dismissive about “kids these days.” Pray it with caution; you will surrender a simplistic view of young people.
For example, the next Thomas Cranmer may be an anxious middle schooler right now. The next Evelyn Underhill might be mindlessly scrolling on TikTok at the moment. Whether or not you have said “we will” to a young person at their baptism, you can ask God for eyes to see every young person as He does. Only then, only when we are captivated by the immense love Christ has for our young people, will we readily support their life in Christ, whatever the cost.
Every generation needs to be seen through the compassionate eyes of Jesus. Our Lord is correct; the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. So, what does He tell the disciples to do in light of this reality? “Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest,” (Matt. 9:37).
Friends, let us pray for the Holy Spirit to help us see our young people as the Lord sees them. They are his sheep and co-laborers in his harvest.
By The Rev. Canon Hunter Myers, ADOSC Canon for Student Ministry .
This article first appeared in the Summer 2025 edition of the Jubilate Deo. View the Jubilate Deo.
