Youth Involvement at GC Session Went Beyond the Aspirational

American politician Shirley Chisholm said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” I am among a small but seemingly privileged number given the rare opportunity to have a seat at the table—or, in this setting, a seat on the floor.

Throughout the sixty-second General Conference (GC) Session I scanned the audience, looked at the dining hall, attended the evening youth program, and realized something that I deemed disappointing. There were a low number of delegates who, based on their age, would be considered young adults or senior young adults. Granted, what I identify as low may be a vast improvement on the figures from the sixty-first GC Session in 2022 or the sixtieth gathering in 2015.

Youth Representation

As I sat alongside fellow young delegates from across the Trans-European Division (TED), I realized that although our ethnic backgrounds and church structure engagement were richly diverse, we held and continue to hold perspectives shaped by personal, professional, and often deeply spiritual experiences.

I found myself filled with both hope and concern. Hope: because the TED, with its 87 delegates, appeared to have made a conscious effort to involve 13 younger delegates. Concern: because when compared globally, the average age and representation still does not speak to a deliberate culture of succession, relevance, or sustainability in leadership. The efforts, while notable for our territory, feel somewhat ahead yet still miles behind when looking across the wider world.

Succession Planning Is Biblical

There is often talk about “the youth being the church of tomorrow,” and we hear remarks about passing the baton, yet too often the race is begun without a clear runner in place for the next leg. Succession planning is not merely a human resources term—it is a biblical principle. From Moses to Joshua, Elijah to Elisha, Paul to Timothy, Scripture reminds us that sustainability in leadership hinges on preparing those who will lead after those who are incumbent.

The title of the TED’s initiative, Engaged in Mission, offers an opportunity not just for missional activity but for proactive legacy building. What if we deliberately cultivated future leaders who are spiritually grounded, culturally competent, and equipped to engage meaningfully in a complex post-Christian Europe?

Are You Really Listening?

Directors within the Adventist system are also considered to be “advisors” to the officers on various matters. But after sitting in one business session after another, I am moved to ask, If youth directors are the advisors; are the perspectives of youth diluted and filtered when they are passed up to the officers? Are leaders listening?

And what happens when they have heard? How are leaders closing feedback loops and demonstrating that they have listened? Maybe the question at the center of this is “Do you value youth enough to make space for them as coarchitects of the church’s future?”

Youth Involvement Is Beyond Aspirational!

We see that representation matters. However, consistent and intentional involvement of young leaders should not be aspirational but operational. Not separate but core to the faith community, its progress and presence until Jesus returns.

The idea of youth engagement must move from the margins of discussion to the center stage of informed decision-making. It is more than just having a youth delegate or two—it means injecting effort, energy, and care into environments in which young people have influence, a voice, and real responsibility.

During our first youth lunch Marcel Ghioalda, TED Youth Ministries director, emphasized, “Doing God and doing church are two different things.” That distinction has sat with me this week. Many may want to assume that our current church structure mirrors God’s heart, but what if we are merely performing within a system that appears God-centered while failing to reflect the inclusivity, compassion, and teaching nature of Christ?

Visibility Should Be the First Step

I would like to believe that it is not an accident that there are 10 young women present and engaged in this responsibility as TED delegates. I commend the TED for its strides in youth and women’s representation. The presence of young people at this GC Session from the TED region was visible and appreciated. Yet visibility is only the first step—impact is the true measure of engagement. So how do we relentlessly pursue impact?

If Engaged in Mission is to be more than a slogan in the forthcoming quinquennium, it must include a deliberate focus on leadership development and structured succession, one that reflects the vibrancy, imagination, and diversity of young people and senior youth in Europe today. It must not only call people to the mission but prepare them to lead it, to shape it, and to sustain it.

A Call for Authentic Engagement

Likewise, embracing the GC’s Total Member Involvement initiative should be seen, not as merely a program at the local church level, but as a cultural mindset: that every member, regardless of age, gender, or background, has something vital to contribute to the mission and ministry of the Adventist Church.

This GC Session has stirred something deep within me. A notable word is “authentic.” A call for authentic engagement, not just of action, but of heart. For if we are truly to “do God” and not simply “do church,” we must move from symbolic inclusion to strategic integration and wholistic discipleship.

You may ask, “Why?” Because the future of the church isn’t someday. The future of the church is at the door, and administrative decisions at all levels contribute to whether we sit at the table, walk away from the door, or break the doors down to set up our own tables with our folding chairs.

The original version of this commentary was posted on the Trans-European Division news site.