| January 10, 2016 |
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The veteran youth leader can think that the rookie is into cultural trends and doesn’t understand scripture.
Both of these views are unbalanced and extreme. What we need are young Youth Leaders who honor the wisdom of the veteran Youth Leaders, and, veteran Youth Leaders who value the resources of the young Youth Leaders. As a veteran of 31 years of Youth Ministry, I will say that I have not attained Youth Ministry perfection. I still love to have conversations with the rookies and see the passion in their eyes. But, if they will listen, I have so many lessons learned as I have watched decades of approaches come and go along the way. If they will listen, it could help them to do so much more than my generation of Youth Leaders ever did.
My ceiling is their floor. If the younger Youth Leader doesn’t do greater things than I have done in Youth Ministry, I have failed them. Or, they haven’t listened.
Poor Youth Ministry Ecclesiology
Youth Ministry today that is focused upon slick Wednesday night programming and pulling off one exciting event each month will produce students who will shed the Church as soon as they graduate from High School. Many Youth Leaders fail to think through the big picture. It is the responsibility of the youth team to be strategic in the connecting and retention of students and leaders into the church body. Youth Leaders who simply build a sub-culture of Youth Ministry separate from the whole church are missing the rewards that could arise from inter-generational relationships.
If the Church is in the hands of the young people that I see across America, the Church is in great hands. The Spirit of God is moving through a generation in ways that reflect a bright future for the Church.
And aside from the inter-generational rewards, an isolated Youth Ministry misses the opportunity to prepare the next leaders of the Church. It should be clearly understood by all volunteer and paid Youth Leadership in the Church that the future pastors, elders, deacons, department leaders, and administrative staff are coming from within the Youth Ministry. It is detrimental to do Youth Ministry in isolation of the Church.
If the Church is in the hands of the young people that I see across America, the Church is in great hands. The Spirit of God is moving through a generation in ways that reflect a bright future for the Church.
A Lack Of Supernatural Leadership
“These who have turned the world upside down have come here too” (Acts 17:6).
It was said of King David that he governed Israel with the integrity of his heart and the skillfulness of his hands. King Josiah was 8 years old when he became king, and by the time he was 16 he had removed all of the national idols. And Paul the Apostle placed a great emphasis upon natural and spiritual leadership by stating they could not be separated. The Jews in Thessalonica were enraged at the Apostles and said, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too” (Acts 17:6 NKJV). All of these examples are evidence of the importance of supernatural leadership.
Tags: church, fail, grenell, jeff, ministry, youth
Category: Ministry, Winter 2016
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