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Christianity and Culture:Mall Ministry: Reaching American Teens Where They Live
by Shea Oakley (Shea's bio)
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A suggestion to youth outreach ministries across the nation: target shopping malls. Anyone who is even slightly aware of the presence of adolescents in their midst knows that they congregate in huge numbers at the local mall. These suburban temples of materialism have become the place where millions of teenagers go to be with one another and seek together whatever comfort can be found living in the wasteland of shattered families and communities that is Post-Modern America.
A recent search on the web using the key words "mall ministry" found exactly one Christian organization with a site devoted to outreach at a large indoor shopping center. Perhaps youth ministries are focusing the lion's share of their efforts on the high schools themselves. Unfortunately the nation does not seem to be wholeheartedly behind re-introducing the God of the Bible into the public school system and may never be. Our schools remain bastions of secularism reinforced, unfortunately, by bad court rulings. The education system's lock-out of Judeo-Christian values continues even in the face of Columbine and its many offspring.
Malls are a bit less adamant, a bit more neutral. A Vineyard church was even able to set up a free Christmas gift wrapping station at a New Jersey mall a few years back. The volunteer "wrappers" also handed out information about Vineyard churches. The administration of this particular shopping center had no problem with them doing so and they took full advantage of the freedom. But large youth organizations like Young Life and Teen Mission could conceivably take this idea a step farther by learning from a recent experiment.
Not long ago a storefront in a suburb of New York City was rented by such an organization and converted into a sort of "Christian Starbucks". Think of a coffeehouse that is open six days a week and you've got the idea. While the place attracts its share of adults, teens are also very much present. All in all the place is a very good start. The problem is that it still is not in close physical proximity to where unreached youth congregate in the hundreds every weeknight and weekend. To reach these kids their needs to be a permanent Christian presence along the lines of the above model but in large malls.
There are two obvious challenges. One is financial. Renting retail space in the local "galleria" is not cheap. This effort would have to be sponsored by affluent organizations and individual believers who are committed to reaching American teenagers in a more effective way. The other issue is spiritual. While money will talk undoubtedly some mall owners are going to object to what they see as religious proselytizing in the guise of a "legitimate" business. Tearing down strongholds in mall business offices will likely require spiritual warfare. United intercessory prayer could be the most effective weapon here. This is a largely untapped mission field and, make no mistake, God will change hearts, minds and circumstances to get us in the door of any place where the fields are white for harvest. We must only ask Him and be ready to go through such doors.
The so called Baby Boomers have created a baby boom of their own and millions of children will be entering their teen years during the next decade. They will throng the malls of America and Jesus bids us to meet them there.
Copyright 2002, Shea Oakley. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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About Shea Oakley: Shea has been an Evangelical believer for 12 years. He is a member of the Nazarene church and serves on his church's ministries board. Shea has a B.A. in English literature from Nyack College, a college of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Nyack, New York. He also has earned about 41 credits towards a Masters of Professional Studies in Ministry at Alliance Theological Seminary, also in Nyack. Shea currently resides in his home state of New Jersey in the town of West Milford. He is single. Shea has written for two college student newspapers, a college magazine, Poet Magazine (one poem published), Airliners Magazine and his Church's newsletter, From The Vine to the Branches.
You can e-mail Shea at: |
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