Young people want God and UCC conferences are noticing: Southern New England adds Minister of Youth and Young Adults to its staff

When Devin Shmueli saw the Southern New England Conference UCC (SNEUCC) was seeking a Minister for Youth and Young Adults, he knew he had to apply.  

“I’ve always been called to support youth and young adults as they learn and grow in their faith and beliefs,” he said. “This was an amazing opportunity to support a broader network of youth and young adults and to support faith leaders in their ministries to young people.” 

The 2017 graduate of Andover Newton Theological School, the predecessor of Andover Newton at Yale Divinity, joined SNEUCC in March. He brings more than 14 years of community building, justice work, and ministry to youth and young adults in UCC and Unitarian Universalist congregations throughout New England. He was most recently Director of Family and Community Ministries at First Unitarian Universalist Society in Newton, Massachusetts.  

In a SNEUCC statement, the Rev. Dr. Chris Davies, Executive Minister for Programs and Initiatives, wrote she was “impressed with how Devin holds clarity and complexity of faith.”  

“In our initial conversations, he pointed to the person Jesus Christ as a teaching figure and balanced the role of engaging youth and young adults in this era, in Christian ways while demonstrating that our faith is bigger than empire,” said Davies.  

Deep listening leads to new opportunities 

The creation of the new position of Minister for Youth and Young Adults was the result of months of listening sessions held with Conference churches — a time spent discerning how best to serve young people and their families in today’s culture.   

“As a conference staff, we are always evaluating the needs of our constituents and the conference, considering how we might meet those needs. We work intentionally to target what supports our people best,” Shmueli shared, “and so after staff departures, our executive leadership took time to listen to constituents and explain next steps, and to implement plans for success.” 

In the recently released, “A Report on Faith Formation in the Southern New England Conference,” it became clear that a point person to foster connections and equip pastors and youth leaders with resources was needed.  

Contrary to congregations’ long-held beliefs, young people are not abandoning the church. Rather, studies show a hungering among them for a vibrant faith that doesn’t entertain, but that is anchored in prayer, study and authentic relationships.  

It is a trend other UCC conferences are noticing. 

The Southwest Conference UCC is currently exploring the sustainability of adding a staff position to focus solely on nurturing and supporting children and youth ministries for its 40 congregations throughout Arizona, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas.  

Clergy need support, too  

As Minister for Youth and Young Adults, Shmueli will not only support young disciples as they grow in their faith; he will support clergy as well in honing their relationships with youth and young adults by providing them with tools and resources for deepened engagement.   

“It’s important for all clergy to foster connections with the youth in their church,” said Shmueli, adding, “We have been thinking, too, about how to bridge the Conference’s geography as well as the differences in the sizes of the churches.” 

Shmueli especially wants the small church to be seen and served.  

“Even if a pastor has one or two youth in the church, they can still minster to them,” he said.  

Creating more Conference-wide youth gatherings are part of Shmueli’s vision in bringing teens in smaller congregations into a larger group of teens so that supportive faith-filled friendships can be forged.   

One such retreat that Shmueli is excited about is both “spooky and spiritual.” The “Hallowed Ground: Faith, Saints & Stories that Shape Up” will bring 6^th  through 12^th  graders an opportunity to explore the balance between the secular and the sacred. They can celebrate Halloween while learning about All Saints Day and honoring the saints both past and present, traditional and contemporary, remembering its ancient roots and how the saints of the past inform the faith of the present. Held Oct. 30 – Nov. 1, Shmueli says it will a weekend of “epic fun.” 

Looking toward 2027, Shmueli says there will be two confirmation retreats, as well as a “shared-summer camp experience” thanks to a covenant SNEUCC entered into with Camp Washington in Lakeside, Connecticut. 

“This is the result of an exciting new covenant partnership between the Southern New England Conference and the Episcopal Church in Connecticut (ECCT), which was prayerfully and thoughtfully explored over the course of many months,” Shmueli shared in a recent post on the SNEUCC website.  

Youth led and youth driven 

Shmueli, though, is not going at it alone. Rather he is inviting youth and young adults to share their hopes and dreams.  

“We are not telling them what to do. This ministry will be youth led, and youth driven,” he said, “and we will be developing leadership teams whose membership will include those most impacted by these ministries.” 

Currently, three advisory committees — representing children, youth, and young adults — have been created to continue healthy conversations among Conference congregations as to what resources, trainings, and gatherings will be valuable for them. “The cooperation and shared ministry between the conference staff and our churches is the cornerstone for the progress of ministry to children, youth, and young adults in Southern New England,” Shmueli said. 

SNEUCC will catch a glimpse of what that youth led vision looks like at its 7^th Annual Meeting to be held the weekend of Sept. 25. While U.S. Senator the Rev. Raphael Warnock has generated much excitement as the meeting’s keynote speaker, there will be another powerful speaker addressing the youth.  

Skye Larson, a high school senior in Newton, Massachusetts, will share about the work she has done raising awareness — and $40,000 — for the housing crisis. Larson is the Keynote Speaker for “The Woven Youth Collective,” SNEUCC’s youth event taking place during the annual meeting. Additionally, Shmueli collaborated with conference staff to arrange a private meet and greet with Senator Warnock as part of the youth event. 

Shmueli says the youth will then put their faith into action, creating care packages for the unhoused. These packages will be distributed to the Worcester Fellowship.  

Beyond Sundays  

For Shmueli, his hope in his role as Minister for Youth and Young Adults is to inspire congregations to rethink ministries to the young. Starting with thinking beyond Sundays.  

“We must ‘think outside Sunday morning,’” he said.  

It is a guiding principle of Shmueli’s that was inspired by the saying he heard often during his Andover Newton seminarian days. “We would always be told to ‘think outside the pulpit’,” he said.  

“Young people are overscheduled and experiencing high levels of stress,” said Shmueli. “Some sixth graders are already concerned about getting into a competitive college, while young adults face work commitments and worry about the political unrest in the world,” he added. 

“We need to support them where they are and give them spaces that work for them,” said Shmueli, suggesting intergenerational dinner church services, midweek activities for teens or opportunities to come together during school vacation weeks for service projects and mission trips as just a few possibilities.  

As for young adults, Shmueli sees a high level of political engagement no matter which party they support.  

“It doesn’t matter if they are liberal or conservative, they are worried about our nation. And they are actively canvassing for their candidates,” he said. “It’s their future they are working for.”  

And it’s a future youth and young adult ministries can help build as well.  

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