Abstract
Youth unemployment is one of the gravest problems in the present-day Tanzanian society and Africa at large. The problem worsens when it befalls young people inside the Church. This study aims at examining youth unemployment as a challenge facing the pastoral ministry in the Church today. To arrive at this objective, qualitative method of doing research was used. Previous research (although very little in Tanzania) on youth unemployment in general was examined. After the definition of keywords, literature review was done – that is, perusing the available documents with a direct or indirect relationship to the topic. Various data collection tools (interviews, questionnaires, participation, and observation) were used. The overall results of the study drive home the notion that youth unemployment is currently a great challenge facing the pastoral ministry. The results were discussed theologically vis-à-vis the entire issue of youth unemployment and pastoral ministry. Various strategies by social institutions such as the Church, government, and NGOs to arrest the problem of youth unemployment were highlighted and the implications of these strategies were carefully recorded. This contributed significantly to the attempt of supplying concrete information to the research problem and it was something that assisted considerably in the data analysis task. While analyzing and interpreting the data obtained, priority was given to finding out the attitudes and opinions of different groups of people in connection with youth unemployment. Thus the feelings or views of individuals as far as youth unemployment is concerned were accorded second importance. The study is a valuable contribution to the existing handful information on youth unemployment as a challenge in the pastoral ministry. Bearing in mind the value and role of young people in the day-to-day activities in the society, solving the plight of youth unemployment is something that cannot be despised or underestimated. What has been done so far to deal with this pressing issue is greatly commended and more initiatives are welcome and encouraged. The concluding note for this study is that youth unemployment will continue to be a big problem or challenge to the Church. Neglecting this particular problem is something that may at the end of the day push things to the point of incontrollable social confusion or disorder. Judging things from the perspective of this study, youth unemployment needs further research for the benefit of the pastoral ministry and the future generations in general. It is therefore hoped that this study stands as a stepping stone for youth affairs in the Church – youth unemployment in particular.