The Archbishop of Mainland Diocese of the Methodist Church, Most Revd. Obafemi Adeleye has admonished youths to live a life of holiness, imbibe honesty and integrity for the manifestation of God’s wish for their lives.
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Adeleye gave the advice at a forum marking the Hoare’s Memorial Methodist Church (HMMC), Men Christian Union 90th Anniversary, in Lagos.
He also advised youths to live a meaningful life and shun all evils in line with the doctrine of the Church.
According to him, mentorship is also necessary to inculcate the traditions of the Church in our youths, saying youths are the owners and future of the Church.
“In the midst of technology innovations, there is a need for the Church to ensure that youths move with the times and at the same time maintain traditions which the Church is known for.
“The main thing is to focus on youths and ensure they imbibe what the Church stands for while accommodating the social media and Internet to the benefit of the Church,” he said.
Also, Sir Gbenga Badejo, the Archdiocesan Treasurer of the Methodist Church, Nigeria, said the Church must stick to its core objective of winning souls for Christ.
Speaking on the topic entitled: “Ways of Improving Membership and The Financial Fortune of Methodist Church Nigeria,” he said this implied that all efforts must be geared toward winning more souls.
“This means that the Church must invest in practical Christianity, as without it the Church could not grow.
“The problem is that many people prayed about the necessity of lives than seeking the Kingdom of God.
“The work of Christian leaders is to build responsible church members and teach them God’s ways to create wealth.
“Practical Christianity is a tool of achieving the Church missions of winning souls,” he said.
Badejo said that the Church must reach out to youths through the schools’ evangelism, outreach stations and supporting them.
He said the church must be ready to teach the youths kingdom and knowledge economies as contained in the scriptures whereby youths were taken through empowerment acquisitions.
Badejo said that parents must also be ready to encourage their children to come back to church and remain relevant.
Very Rev. Oluwole Kuyebi, Presbyter of HMMC, said that winning of souls for the Christ was both the work of clergy and members of the church.
Kuyebi said that the church must invest heavily on youths and do things in the ways that would attract them and without forcing them to the church.
He said that the church must engage in community service, respond positively to new ideas, engage in short qualitative sermons and encourage volunteer worship.
In her remarks, a former Conference leader, Methodist Church Nigeria, Christiana Ogunmekan, said the church must ensure that aggressive evangelism and members’ welfare were given top priorities.
She said that the Church must engage in profitable investments in assets to improve its financial position.
According to her, the Church needs to invoke the guidance of the Holy Spirit for knowledge, wisdom, understanding to take necessary action that will enable it to grow and improve the financial situation.