This July thousands of teenagers from around the nation flocked to the 2012 Montreat Youth Conference in Montreat, North Carolina. The group gathered as a national community of faith at the annual event themed “Perfectly Imperfect,” which focused on helping youth understand that God will use them and their imperfections to bless the world. The annual conference brings together high school students, students entering college, and small group leaders to study, worship, and enjoy recreational activities in a sacred setting—free from distractions.

Princeton Seminary’s Francis Landey Patton Professor of Homiletics Cleo LaRue experienced their energy firsthand! He was the preacher for the event’s evening worship services and said, “The entire experience was a sight to behold. I have preached before large groups in my preaching ministry—a crowd of 100,000 in India in 2003—but I cannot remember feeling the kind of energy and excitement that I felt when preaching to the young Presbyterians at Montreat.” On the opening night, many of the participants (young adults) waited at the doors for more than an hour to “get a good seat.” Once the doors opened, more than one thousand young people ran into the worship service to secure their spot. “Each night, as they gathered for worship, I could actually feel their anticipation as the service got underway. Afterward many of them went out of their way to greet me and offer encouraging and inspiring comments,” he said. One young couple even asked LaRue to baptize them. “I was deeply moved by their sincerity and their request, so I directed them to the proper Presbyterian officials at the conference,” he said.

The teenagers were not the only ones that radiated energy. LaRue said, “I was equally impressed with the commitment of the adult group leaders—both those who were hired by Montreat to facilitate group discussions and those who accompanied the young people to the conference from their home churches. The love, camaraderie, and support the young people experienced at Montreat will affect them for the rest of their lives. Many of them make lifelong commitments to Christ during their time there.”

In recent years many have said that teenagers’ interest in religion and/or the church has decreased drastically—researchers indicate that only four percent of teenagers will maintain their religious beliefs as adults (http://bluebarracudaspchs.blogspot.com/). But, the interest and energy of the young adults who participated in the Montreat Youth Conference, as described by LaRue, seem to belie this statistic. If youth conferences like Montreat are generating this much youthful energy and interest in ministry, it is no wonder that LaRue feels that when it comes to young people, the Presbyterian Church is alive and well!