Youth Sunday

Definition and Meaning

Youth Sunday is a Lord's Day on which the church remembers the young adult generation within its congregation and prays for them. Like Children's Sunday or Seniors' Sunday, it is a commemorative Sunday focused on a particular generation. On this day young adults often lead the order of worship and the day's events themselves. The age range of "young adults" differs from church to church. The term generally refers to those from college age through their twenties and thirties, and some churches use marital status or membership in the young adult ministry as the criterion.

Biblical and Historical Background

Scripture contains no institution called Youth Sunday. Churches do, however, frequently cite passages concerning the younger generation as a basis for this Sunday. Representative verses include "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth" (Ecclesiastes 12:1), "Let no man despise thy youth" (1 Timothy 4:12), and "your young men shall see visions" (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17).

Youth Sunday is a custom that arose in the modern period as churches began organizing their ministries by generation. In Korea, youth organizations were a major pillar of church activity from the earliest days of Protestantism. A representative example is the Hwangseong Young Men's Christian Association, founded in Seoul in 1903 as the forerunner of the Korea YMCA. Denominational youth organizations are also known to have been active, such as the Presbyterian Christian Endeavor Society and the Methodist Epworth League.

Practice in Korean Churches

Youth Sunday is not an official observance of the church year. It is a commemorative Sunday set by a denominational calendar or by individual congregations, and its date varies among denominations and churches. Some denominations include a youth-related Sunday in the calendar adopted by their general assembly, while many churches observe it according to their own schedules.

Common features in Korean churches include the following:

• Young adults lead the representative prayer, the Scripture reading, congregational singing, and special music.
• A young adult dedication service is held in the afternoon or evening, featuring testimonies from young adults.
• The work of the young adult ministry and plans for short-term missions are presented to the congregation.
• Scholarship offerings or other financial support for young adults are collected.

In recent years many have observed that the number of young adults in the church is declining while the number of "Canaan believers" (Christians who no longer attend church) is growing. For this reason, some churches use Youth Sunday as an occasion to evaluate their ministry to the next generation. At the same time, some within the Korean church argue that Youth Sunday should not remain merely an annual event and that young adults should be given genuine participation in the life and governance of the church.