Theology on the iPod - Part One

Last year I gave a short (10 minute) presentation based around the Theology of the iPod. My audience was every member of our diocesan staff. I was brought in to explain the minority demographic of that peculiar group, young adults.

As I normally have a two hour workshop set up on "Who Young Adults Are," condensing this into ten minutes was a challenge. While working, rather staring at the blank Word document wondering how to begin, I went into my purse (which can support a family of six for ten days). I rooted around, likely for my lip balm or some tissues. My excavations revealed my iPod in it's friendly red case. if nothing else, I thought I could put on some inspiring music to help jump start my brainstorming.

I pulled the speaker cord from my computer speakers to plug into the iPod. And that is when it struck me, when you want to talk about young adults in the church, you need to talk about the Theology of the iPod.

Now picture saying that to a room comprised of church employees aged roughly 45-70+ (some older priests, sisters, and other wisdom figures were present). Imagine seeing the faces of those raised in the pre-Vatican II Church hearing that we need to have a theology based on some new-fangled device. I enjoyed that brief moment.

When I have the time and it strikes my fancy, I'll be posting some of the components of this talk. I also hope to expand on that short presentation. All hooks aside, I believe that what I am saying has merit.

First in the Theology of the iPod is the concept of portability. Today I want to focus on the compact, easy to carry nature of the iPod.

Whether you have the latest video iPod or the most compact iPod Nano, you can comfortable fit it into the pocket of your jeans. You can shove it into your date purse or your glove compartment without a thought. You slip it into your desk drawer or the pocket of your uniform. Whether you are at the gym or on a road trip, it moves with you.

Traditionally, and in some places still, where you were born was where you were buried. Perhaps you traveled a hundred miles if you were exceptional to attend college or university, but you returned and lived your life all in one place. Slowly this has dramatically changed. In an economy and society where young adults will hold dozens of jobs prior to their retirement, mobility is a constant.

Young adults live in one city for their studies. They move for their first job. Then they are promoted, laid off, marry, or have another life change that draws them to another home.

I am a prime example. I lived in Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Brown Deer (Wisconsin) as a child. My college was the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Now I am a resident of Ann Arbor. In something abnormal for my generation, I am still at my first job almost five years after college graduation.

This leaves churches with a very frustrating phenomenon. The traditional model of leadership is to have a parishioner involved in a ministry for a significant length of time. A strong understanding of who that person is develops and they are called forth sometimes after years to take on a role of leadership. Years of formation then are put into making that new leader a well-trained catechist, finance council member, or youth ministry volunteer. The classes, conference, workshops, books, and other resources are seen as a long term investment for the parish. The traditional understanding is that the parishioner you are forming as a leader will reside in your parish for decades.

Young adults form a generation that moves more frequently than any before. Waiting years to tap them as leaders will result in their slipping through our fingers.

Just as an iPod is portable, we need to form young adults as 'portable leaders.' We need to recognize that the training and formation we offer to them is not a long term investment for our parish but an investment in the universal Church. We need to offer to the them the chance to grow and strengthen so that when they do move they will be able to take on leadership roles or continue their formation at the parish they find in their new home.

This requires a leap of faith. We all look to our budgets, thin numbers of volunteers, and other difficulties. We question whether we can afford the time, money, and effort to form these young people who are only going to leave in 12, 18 or 24 months.

The answer is that we cannot afford to not put the time, money, and effort into our young adult community. We need our young adults to be active, well-formed, conscious Catholics that can be active, well-formed, conscious Catholics in each of the coming places they call home in the future.