Key Points of the Meeting A. Purpose of the Meeting
Walking with the Next Generation Post-COVID Challenges and Hope for ACEM Youth Ministry
On May 13, 2026, Pastor Dominic convened an open forum with ACEM pastors and ministry partners to discuss post-COVID challenges facing youth and young adults across ACEM churches. He emphasized that ACEM churches differ in size, context, and resources, and can therefore learn from one another through ongoing partnership and shared ministry reflection.
The meeting focused on youth and young adults in the post-COVID era, especially how the pandemic, technology, social media, mental health concerns, family dynamics, and church engagement have shaped their lives and spiritual formation.
B. Major Challenges After COVID 1. Overdependence on Screens, Social Media, AI, and Virtual Life A recurring concern was that youth became heavily dependent on screens during COVID as school, church, fellowship, and social life moved online. Pastor Vince observed that many youth now turn to YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and other online sources for spiritual input, while viewing church more as an added program than as a covenant community. Pastor Sam noted that young people now manage both a “real life” and a “digital life,” which creates added anxiety and pressure. Many have spent so much time in online interaction, gaming, social media, and even AI conversations that they struggle with real-life communication, eye contact, dating, conflict resolution, and emotional maturity. AI, especially ChatGPT, was also discussed as a growing influence. Pastor Amy noted that some university students and young adults consult ChatGPT for relationship problems, workplace behaviour, job decisions, and other life issues. Pastor Sam warned that AI may condition youth to expect instant, agreeable, low-conflict responses, making real-life relationships and even prayer feel slow or uncomfortable.
2. Spiritual Laziness and Consumer Mentality Toward Church Several pastors observed that post-COVID church attendance and participation have become more optional for many youth. Pastor Amy said many teens still attend because of their parents, but mentally see church as “optional, not essential.” Pastor Vince described this as “spiritual laziness,” noting that even after pandemic restrictions ended, some people continued asking whether prayer meetings or fellowship could remain online for convenience. This has weakened the community aspect of church life and reduced the sense of embodied fellowship. The group recognized that technology itself is not simply bad. Online platforms can be useful, but the challenge is to steward them wisely without allowing them to replace embodied Christian community, face-to-face relationships, and spiritual discipline.
3. Mental Health Crisis Among Youth Mental health emerged as one of the most serious concerns. Pastor Joey shared that several students in grades 10–12 in his context are struggling with self-harm and suicidal thoughts, with police and counselors involved. He expressed that churches and volunteers often feel unequipped to respond properly to suicide risk, self-harm, and other serious mental health crises. Pastor Vince also described cases involving depression, suicidal thoughts, family breakdown, and marijuana use as a coping mechanism. Pastor Dominic added that serious cases often require coordinated support from pastors, parents, mentors, mental health professionals, and sometimes legal or hospital intervention. The group agreed that COVID did not create every mental health problem, but it intensified existing issues through isolation, social media exposure, loss of structure, and increased anxiety.
4. Drug Use and Marijuana Pastor Dominic raised concern that marijuana legalization in Canada shortly before COVID may have contributed to greater access and normalization of drug use among youth and young adults. He also noted that Chinese churches may underestimate how exposed their youth are to drugs, especially when families assume suburban communities are relatively safe. The group discussed the possibility of ACEM-wide research or surveys on drug exposure and its impact among Chinese churches, possibly in partnership with organizations such as Dawn Operation and other groups.
3
5. Fragmented Identity and Lack of Communication with Parents Pastor Amy highlighted that many teens live with multiple identities: one at home, one at church, one at school, and another online or at work. Some youth have expressed confusion about “which one is me,” suggesting a fragmented sense of self. She also observed that many teens believe they know more than their parents because they are more tech-savvy and can find information quickly online. This contributes to weakened parent-child communication. Even when families attend church together, teens may not communicate deeply with their parents.
6. Parents as Both Key Influence and Potential Barrier The meeting identified parents as a major factor in youth discipleship. Pastor Joey noted that many current parents are deeply child-focused, sometimes allowing children’s sports, extracurricular activities, and preferences to dictate the family schedule, even at the expense of church attendance. Pastor Amy added that many parents’ own spiritual lives are weak beyond Sunday attendance. She stressed that parents need to be discipled and supported, not merely blamed, because many feel overwhelmed and do not know how to guide their children spiritually. Pastor Sam also warned that parents’ own phone use can damage attachment and trust. If parents are physically present but emotionally unavailable because of screens, children may learn that their parents are not truly responsive, reliable, or present.
7. Need for Real Community, Embodied Relationships, and Intergenerational Ministry A strong theme was the importance of rebuilding real-life Christian community. The pastors agreed that youth are lonely and still crave genuine love, care, belonging, and in-person relationships. Pastor Joey emphasized that technology cannot replace the experience of being loved and cared for face to face. Examples included retreats, lock-ins, outings, meals, hikes, small groups, intergenerational prayer meetings, and young adults mentoring youth. Pastor Amy shared that a joint ACEM winter retreat had a significant positive impact, especially for youth from smaller churches who realized they were part of a wider Christian community. 4
What to Do Next A. Create Ongoing ACEM Youth Ministry Conversations The group should continue meeting as a “brain trust” or working group of pastors and ministry leaders serving youth and young adults. Pastor Dominic suggested that this should not be a one-time conversation, but the beginning of an ongoing ACEM culture of partnership and ministry exploration.
Speaker’s Main Points
Next step: Set a regular rhythm, such as quarterly meetings, focused on specific topics:
Pastor Dominic Tse framed the meeting as a first step toward ongoing ACEM-wide collaboration in youth ministry. He emphasized that churches of different sizes have different strengths and needs, and that ACEM can serve as a platform for shared learning. He noted that COVID intensified existing youth challenges, digital life weakened embodied community, and mental health care cannot be handled by pastors alone. He encouraged churches to return to the basics: God, Scripture, prayer, authentic community, and patient pastoral care.
•
Youth mental health and suicide prevention
•
Parent discipleship and family communication
•
Social media, AI, and digital formation
•
Drug use and marijuana awareness
•
Rebuilding in-person community after COVID
Pastor Vince Ng focused on screen dependence, online spirituality, and consumer attitudes toward church. He observed that many youth seek spiritual input outside the church and evaluate church by what it offers them. He also raised concerns about spiritual laziness, mental health struggles, family breakdown, and marijuana use. His pastoral response emphasized dependence on God, consistent prayer, non-judgmental love, and long-term presence rather than quick fixes. Pastor Samuel Hong highlighted the effects of social media, virtual identity, AI, comparison, and emotional immaturity. He explained that youth now manage both real-life and digital-life identities, creating added stress. He warned that social media can increase anxiety, depression, and unhealthy comparison, while 5
AI may train young people to expect instant answers. Spiritually, this may make prayer, waiting on God, and mature discipleship more difficult. He shared how prayer helped his youth fellowship grow in closeness, reduce phone use, and welcome newcomers. Pastor Joey Ho emphasized the seriousness of mental health challenges, especially self-harm and suicidal ideation. He noted that churches and volunteers are often unequipped to respond, and shared that his church is forming a mental health task force with professionals. He also stressed the importance of in-person relationships through retreats, lock-ins, and informal time with students. He added that service opportunities, such as a clothing drive for homeless youth, help young people live out their faith actively. Pastor Amy Ho observed that many youth now view church as optional and struggle with awkwardness and disengagement after COVID. She noted that youth often live with fragmented identities across home, church, school, work, and online life, and many lack deep communication with parents. She stressed the need to disciple parents, help youth evaluate online content through Scripture, and provide emergency resources, referral lists, and pastoral guidance for mental health crises.
B. Develop a Mental Health Response Framework for Churches This was one of the clearest action items. Pastor Joey’s church is starting a mental health task force, and Pastor Amy raised the need for emergency contact lists and protocols. Pastor Dominic also suggested that ACEM pastoral fellowship host a session on handling mental health crises. Recommended Actions: •
Build an ACEM-wide mental health resource list.
•
Identify Christian and culturally sensitive counselors, psychotherapists, social workers, and crisis contacts.
•
Prepare basic crisis response guidelines for pastors and youth workers.
•
Clarify when to call 911.
•
Clarify when parents, church leaders, or board representatives must be informed.
•
Train pastors and volunteers on confidentiality, documentation, boundaries, and self-care.
•
Encourage every pastor handling serious cases to have a partner, supervisor, or support team. 6
C. Equip Parents, Not Just Youth The meeting made clear that youth ministry cannot be separated from parent ministry. Parents need help understanding mental health, digital life, spiritual formation, and communication with teens. Recommended Actions: •
Offer parent seminars on social media, AI, anxiety, depression, suicide warning signs, marijuana and drug awareness, family communication, prayer, and Scripture reading at home.
•
Create short, accessible parent resources in English and Chinese.
•
Encourage parents to rebuild spiritual rhythms at home through simple practices, such as reading a few Bible verses and praying briefly with their children.
D. Rebuild Embodied Christian Community The pastors agreed that youth need real, embodied, loving Christian community more than flashy programs. Recommended Actions: •
Continue retreats, lock-ins, meals, hikes, service projects, and informal gatherings.
•
Encourage youth workers to spend time with students outside formal fellowship.
• •
•
•
Invite young adults to mentor senior high students. Create spaces where youth can ask honest questions about faith, dating, university, mental health, identity, and career. Help youth practice real-life conversation, prayer, service, and conflict resolution. Reduce phone dependency by creating positive relational alternatives rather than merely enforcing rules.
E. Use Technology Wisely Instead of Rejecting It Completely The meeting did not conclude that technology is only harmful. Instead, the pastors recognized that technology can be used redemptively when guided by biblical values and pastoral wisdom. Recommended Actions: •
Teach youth digital discernment.
•
Help students evaluate online spiritual content through Scripture.
•
Address false or sensational faith content from TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms.
•
Consider creating ACEM multimedia content for youth and parents through websites, short videos, YouTube, or other formats.
•
Let the chosen platform be shaped by the audience and ministry needs, not by older assumptions about print or traditional publication.
Conclusion
F. Support Smaller Churches Through ACEM-Wide Collaboration A major insight from the post-meeting discussion was that smaller churches face unique pressures. They may lack formal policies and teams, but they often provide strong one-on-one care. Larger churches may have more systems, while smaller churches need shared resources, referrals, and support. Recommended Actions: •
Create shared ACEM resource pools for youth ministry.
•
Organize joint retreats for smaller churches.
•
Build shared referral lists for counseling, legal, family, and crisis support.
•
Encourage larger churches to share policy templates and training materials.
•
Allow smaller churches to contribute case-based pastoral wisdom from close relational ministry.
The meeting identified a deep post-COVID youth crisis involving digital dependency, anxiety, mental health struggles, fragmented identity, weakened parent-child communication, spiritual passivity, and loss of embodied community. Yet the pastors also saw hopeful signs: youth still long for belonging, prayer can renew fellowship, young adults can mentor younger students, parents can be equipped, and ACEM churches can collaborate more intentionally. The core direction is not to chase a perfect program, but to return to the basics: God, Scripture, prayer, authentic relationships, wise use of technology, equipped parents, trained pastors, and a caring church community that walks patiently with the next generation. 7
8
From “Healed” to “Knowing the Healer” By: Eric Huang
A Quiet Morning in Rural Cambodia In a remote Cambodian village, a Sunday dawn breaks cool and bright as sunlight gently warms the church walls. Villagers gather early to watch The Jesus Film before joining together in simple worship. Pastor Timothy shares a message on True vs. False Christians: “Faith isn’t an outward formality but an inward renewal by the Holy Spirit. Real Christians live out Christ daily. Without love, our faith is an empty shell.”
The Old Rider Regains His Strength
Not Doctors—But Jesus the Healer
Finally, a lively 78-year-old strides forward, beaming: “Thank the Lord Jesus for sending this clinic! I had severe headaches and failing eyesight. I couldn’t ride my motorbike. I felt useless staying at home. After treatment and a pair of reading glasses from Dr. Liu, I have no more pain! My vision’s clear—I can ride to the market again and visit friends again. I feel young!” Standing there, he adds,
Sunlight brightens the courtyard as the old gentleman approaches, gripping our hands and saying, “Thank the Lord!”
“I believe Jesus sent these doctors to serve us. God hasn’t forgotten our village.” Yesterday, he brought coconuts after treatment, a gift from his heart.
To close, he asks softly, “Who wants to share what God has done in your life?”
Silent Voices Break into Praise The Elderly Sister’s Gratitude An elderly woman, who is normally reserved, slowly rises. Her voice quivers, “I thank the Lord. For years, my wrist and arm hurt so badly I couldn’t lift pots or wash clothes. After several weeks of acupuncture at the church clinic, the pain is gone. I can carry weight again! Praise God!” Tears glisten in her eyes, an expression of a heart remembering grace.
The Grandmother Who Stood Tall Next, a white-haired grandmother, who was once bent low by chronic pain, stands smiling. “My stomach and back hurt for years. I could barely walk straight. Then Dr. Liu gave me medicine, electrotherapy, and acupuncture. Now my pain is gone; I walk faster and can straighten my back a bit.” She chokes up, saying, “I often wondered, ‘Does God still remember someone like me?’ Today I know He never left.”
The room hums with gentle power, a power sourced not from dramatic miracles, but the quiet healing and comfort found in daily life. After worship, the church distributes rice, sharing love in a practical way.
I point upward, declaring, “Thank Jesus, the true Healer!” His eyes glisten. “Yes! It’s not doctors, it’s Jesus who healed me!” Joy radiates from his voice. Real healing isn’t in flesh alone, it is a soul’s awakening. Acupuncture and medicine are tools, but without the Lord, they remain methods and nothing more. In healing, faith is born. We go from healed to knowing the Healer. The man laughs, “I’m off to the market on my bike!” “God be with you!” I reply, watching him stride away. Psalm 103 rings in my heart: “He forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.” This is glory—God’s grace stitched into ordinary lives. I turn to see the once-aching grandmother walking steadily, her rice bag in hand, her smile bright. There’s no deep theology here. Just pure hearts trusting that God heals. God leads. Sunlight floods the church, like a quiet proclamation: faith isn’t a fleeting high, but it’s a lifetime walk with Him. Thank You, Lord, for this morning of living testimonies. May we continue to dwell in the grace of Your healing. Amen.
(The author is a Cambodia missionary supported by ACEM)
On Friday, she brought homegrown beans and handmade shrimp paste as her humble thanks. 11
12
“Grandma Peng” in Changsha:
Walking with Orphaned and Disabled Children Toward an Abundant Life By: Grandma Peng | Compiled by: Hansen
Warm Companionship from “Grandma Friend”
“Journeying With Families”
In a morning activity video, children and youth with disabilities, some in wheelchairs or accompanied by caregivers, gently move to music—waving, smiling, or simply nodding to the beat. Among them stands “Grandma Peng,” affectionately called “Friend Grandma” by the kids, a name she treasures.
Policy changes in 2019 forced some ICC group-home youth back into welfare institutions, shattering bonds built over years. Staff wept as the youths comforted them, holding on to the faith that God still cared for them. After five years of petitions, visits with old friends were finally allowed, restoring precious connections.
Peng serves with International China Concern (ICC), an organization dedicated to caring for orphans and children with moderate to severe disabilities in China. With a background in counseling and pastoral ministry, she joined ICC in 2017 after years in church leadership. She first served in Hengyang, Hunan, and later moved to Changsha, continuing to walk alongside those whose lives society often overlooks.
From Welfare Institutions to Communities Founded in 1993 by David Gotts, ICC began by providing care inside orphanages and later expanded to rehabilitation, education, and family-based support. Today, ICC partners with NGOs to deliver services across communities and rural areas, striving for a society where every child with disabilities lives a rich, respected life. In Changsha’s “Morning Light Center,” bright activity rooms and rehab spaces create a lively environment. Here, youth bake, craft, learn cleaning skills, and practice social interaction. What seems like simple activities to outsiders represents dignity and contribution for these young people—they are no longer merely “recipients of care,” but participants in life.
ICC now also serves children living at home, often in poverty or cared for by elderly grandparents. These caregivers lack resources and face overwhelming anxiety about the children’s future. One mother, exhausted and hopeless, once asked Peng if euthanasia was possible abroad—not from lack of love, but despair over her child’s lifelong dependency. To meet these needs, ICC launched Journeying With Families, sending teams of social workers, therapists, and special education teachers to urban edges and remote villages. For caregivers who often ask, “Who will care for my child when I’m gone?” these visits offer knowledge, practical help, and deep emotional support. One parent said, “We had lost hope, but your visits give me strength.”
“Little Ark” Food Cart & New Horizons As youth age, the question looms: What next after adulthood? ICC’s answer includes vocational training, exemplified by the “Little Ark” food cart. Here, participants learn food prep, inventory, cleaning, and customer service—tasks adapted for wheelchairs through barrier-free design. Some youths, previously isolated, now step into communities, confidently sharing and selling their products. Those with severe limitations engage through art, games, and theater. In one Lunar New Year play, a youth with no assigned lines whispered, “I want to speak.” Later, he stood up and said, “You’re amazing.” Those three words, simple yet hard-won, brought tears to the audience—proof that every life yearns for voice and affirmation.
The Role of Overseas Churches Love, Hope, and Opportunity ICC lives by three words: Love, Hope, Opportunity. Opportunities might be a cooking class, an outdoor trip, admission to a special education school, or typing a letter on a computer. For children once confined to orphanages, each moment of being seen and encouraged plants a seed of transformation. Peng recalls one young man with severe disabilities who learned digital communication after years of patient volunteer support. On her birthday, he typed a heartfelt letter: “Jesus loves you, and I love you too.” For her, this wasn’t just skill-building; it was love and hope deeply etched into a person's heart. 15
Peng outlines how churches abroad can help: by sending short-term teams willing to enter these children’s world with love and patience. Volunteers don’t need professional backgrounds but must complete child-protection training and follow all policies. Post-pandemic, ICC is reshaping flexible service programs and urges churches to pray—for open local policies, for the resilience of children and youth, and for frontline workers who endure constant challenges under shifting regulations. “What is the Gospel? What is an abundant life?” Peng often muses. For her, the Gospel isn’t confined to pulpits—it shines when a child rolls outside for the first time, when a youth writes their first letter, society once again recognizes these individuals as valued members of the community. When children emerge from isolation into love and hope, they begin their journey toward a truly abundant life.
(The contributor is an ICC missionary supported by the ACEM)
16