n 2000 I met many of the General Conference session delegates who were under the age of 35. This was easier than it sounds, since there were fewer than 50 of them. They made up a tiny part of the 2,000-strong delegate pool. Yes, it was a small contingency. But they were very vocal. And passionate. And inspiring.

While many of their older fellow delegates were absent from some of the more mundane business sessions, these young people were almost always present and often stood to make comments that were at once articulate, insightful, and provocative. Why did they stand and deliver? Why were they so dedicated and passionate?

By way of explanation, here are some of their comments:

"You can change something only from within the system. If changes are supposed to be made for the young people in the church worldwide, we have to work with the system. That's the only way it can be done," said Owen Owusu, from London, England.

"There was a time when we said, 'Let's leave the church and do our own thing.' But we realize that change doesn't happen like that. It has to come from within, and we've had to fight our way into the church system, into the offices, into the local church, by being involved," said Maxine Carridice, from Nottingham, England.

"You have all the union presidents, all the division presidents, next to you talking. They say they want young people to get involved, but a lot of young people are not interested in committee meetings. But unless you go through that process, you can't accomplish anything," said Matt Byrne, from Perth, Australia.

These and other young adults we interviewed had plenty to say, but they doubted we'd publish their comments. I am proud to say we did (see Adventist Review, Sept. 21, 2000, pp. 26-29). And as I think about the GC session of 2005, which will start in just a few days, I wonder how the church has changed in the past five years, what this summer's session will entail, and what the next five years will bring.

I'm not talking about more women delegates, and more delegates under age 40--although those would be good things. I'm talking about the generational misunderstandings that have plagued the church's leadership in recent years--the very bridgeable gap between the structured, measured approach of the mature and the aggressive, spontaneous methodology of the youth. I wonder: What will it take for our church leaders, both young and old, to work together?

In the past five years I have seen this happening more and more: the older, more experienced leader trusting enough to give the young upstart responsibility and assignment. The younger, more energetic leader turning to the older to learn what he/she needs to be cautious of--and taking advice to avoid failure. Believe it or not, I've even seen this happen recently in the very building in which I work!

And so I await the close-at-hand GC session--and, if we're not in the kingdom, the next five years--with excited anticipation. Working as a truly functional body of Christ will be something to see. And experience!

Just imagine combining our dreamers and visionaries (Joel 2:28) together in one unified system! Imagine adding jubilant, excited young people to careful, committee-planned outreach! Imagine the more aged in our church willing to let the youth try new things (and make mistakes), and the youth willing to adhere to valuable and practical rules! Imagine the youth willing to let the older ones give their advice and decrees (and sometimes make mistakes), and the mature willing to learn new and improved ways of operating! Imagine how many more souls we'd bring to Christ by leaving our hang-ups behind, and by being vulnerable and trusting with each other.

The final question we asked was what they thought prevents administrators from being more sensitive to youth and young adult issues. To this day their perceptiveness makes me smile in anticipation for the future.

"Maybe they are scared of change," said Dina Karam, from Beirut, Lebanon.

Owusu added, "It involves a paradigm shift. You have to discontinue what has worked for you in your generation and try to move to the edge, . . . and work with something that will be radical. Nobody wants to feel uncomfortable. Unfortunately, that's what change brings."

Ah, the future? See you there.