Possibility House Church senior Pastor Pius Buodo has called on churches to look beyond traditional Sunday services if they are to connect with young people and address the challenges they face outside the church.
Pastor Buodo said his ministry extends beyond the four walls of the church through initiatives aimed at engaging the wider community.
One such initiative is Singles Connect, an interdenominational programme he started about seven years ago to bring young people together and create opportunities for personal, social and spiritual growth.
“It is a place for connection,” he said. According to Pastor Buodo, the programme has helped young people discover and develop their talents, share ideas and build relationships.
He said some participants have gone on to marry after meeting through the initiative, while others have become Christians as a result of their involvement.
He describes Singles Connect as deliberately open to people from different church backgrounds, saying its format is designed to make newcomers feel welcome rather than judged.
“We package it in a way that anybody can walk in,” he said.Buodo said the approach is particularly important for young people who may feel neglected or disconnected from traditional religious institutions.
He believes some young people turn to bars and other social spaces because they are searching for acceptance, friendship and a sense of belonging.
“Some of them have not been loved. They have not been fathered,” he said. He argues that preaching alone may not address all the issues young people face.
Buodo said his experience as a pastor had shown him that a sermon lasting 45 minutes or an hour could not necessarily address every concern affecting young people.
Instead, he said, the church should create spaces where young people can first establish relationships and feel accepted.
He also cited the biblical account of Jesus and Simon Peter as an example of how he believes churches should respond to people struggling with weaknesses.
Buodo said Jesus did not abandon Peter because of his shortcomings, but encouraged him to become stronger and later help others.
He said this reflected what he sees as the church’s responsibility: to feed people spiritually rather than simply trying to “clean” them up.
“We’re supposed to preach and then let them be convicted. Let the Holy Spirit do their cleansing in their hearts,” he said.
For Buodo, this means creating an environment where people can come as they are while allowing faith to influence their lives over time.
He said the approach had also helped him build relationships with people who do not identify as Christians.
Some of them, he said, now contact him directly because they feel comfortable communicating with him. “They resonate with my language,” he said.
Buodo believes such relationships are essential if churches are to remain relevant to younger generations and continue to have an impact beyond their congregations.
For him, the goal is not simply to increase attendance at church services, but to create communities where young people can find support, develop their abilities and, ultimately, make their own choices about faith.
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