I have read a lot of different blogs and articles by Pastors claiming that the current Youth Group model does not work effectively for the training up of the youth within a church. I would like to address that topic in this blog as well as talk about the ways I think that we can fix it.
New Models of Youth Groups
The newest model as taught by Mark Driscoll and other leading pastors is the small group model. They believe that this model will work as a better tool to disciple the teens within your youth group. I agree that this would help with discipleship, but I am not sure how well it would work with outreach. Just imagine the amount of concern that could come from being the first time youth kid in some random dudes house with some random kids you really do not know.
I think that within the youth group we need to setup small groups and encourage intentional discipleship, but I do not think it is the only answer.
The Old Model
The old model is to have a young man, barely older that the teens, get up and have an exciting game planned and maybe a 15-20 minute devotional about some sort of life principle. This model has drawn many kids in, and depending on the excitement of the leader has helped some kids get involved faithfully. The downside is that many kids are going through the whole program and then graduating and abandoning their relationship with Christ for something bigger and flashier.
My View on the Ideal Youth Group
I want to share something that I feel we need to change within churches around the country in order to make our youth groups more effective.
1. Mature Youth Pastors
The current model of the youth pastor is generally a young man who has just graduated from Bible College and is using this ministry as a stepping stone to the eventual senior pastor position they desire. Here are the problems in that.
a. Immaturity
A lot of these youth pastors will enter this ministry ill prepared to truly lead these kids in their spiritual growth. The will become easily discouraged when the kids present challenges (and that happens daily). It will be easy for them just to pack up and leave instead of trying to stick it out.
Another potential problem is that they will strive to be cool with the kids too much. Sometimes in the desire to win the affection of the teens the youth pastor will compromise their spiritual leadership to do something foolish. This leads in confusion for the teens when they know what their youth pastor is really like, but then hear him talking about being different that the world.
b. Further Education
A lot of youth pastors will leave the youth pastorate in order to go to seminary and pursue further education. There is nothing wrong with this, but it does add unnecessary change to the teens high school years.
c. Unorganized
A lot of young youth pastors do not take the time to setup a plan for their lessons. This leads to unorganized youth meetings that are nothing more than a recreational activity.
d. Job Promotion
If the youth pastor is there only until they can find a better job then at the first sign of a better job they will leave.
I have heard it said that the average length of stay for the youth pastor is between 18 months and 3 years. This is too high of a turnover rate and needs to be fixed to better minister to and disciple our teens.
I propose that churches bring in mature youth pastors that feel God has specifically called them to lead teens in their walk with the Lord. This man will be mature which will help the kids learn by example. This man is already educated at a graduate level and can disciple the kids on a deeper level without the distracting call to pursue more education. He will more than likely be organized after having to juggle school, family and work duties. If he feels called to the youth pastorate then he is more likely to stay for a longer period of time and will help the kids grow in the most effective ways all the way through their seminary time.
2. Use both modes of discipleship
I think that the church should use both means of discipling kids. Have a great program with teaching on intentional topics of spiritual growth, but then also be intentional in your approach to discipling the kids. Assign the youth leaders to different care groups that they actively pursue in helping them grow through; one on one discipleship, attending their events, and praying for them on a regular basis. Always keep a good portion of time open for the kids to seek counseling. Never just counsel them one time on a specific topic, but stick with them and help them grow.
I do agree that the current system is broken, but with some adjustments I think it could be extremely effective.
I agree with you. I think mature youth pastors is not a problem with age or education. I think one of the big problems is how we find our youth pastors. Having a guy come in for a weekend or two is not the best way to find out if a guy is going to be a good fit. How do we know if he is mature or not. I think churches should be training up people from within. They may go away and get a degree but we would already have a feel for their maturity. I also think that a lot of youth groups are just mini churches within a church. The youth ministry is disconnected from the rest of the church. I have been a youth pastor for over 8 years. The teens that have stayed connected after high school were involved in the ministries of the church outside basic youth group functions. The ones who only wanted to be connected to the youth group and not the rest of the church soon left after graduating.
ReplyDeleteA perspective from the point of view of a Mom. I agree very much with the post above, and as the parent of a "youth group" age teen, I have watched the very turnover rate to which Johnny speaks happen over and over again, and I have seen the heartbreak the kids feel after "Pastor _____" abandons them for __________. (education, family, etc.) You fill in the blank. Instead of the "church within the church" that most youth groups are: (Why do I want to go hang out with the OLD PEOPLE, sing the OLD SONGS, hear the OLD MESSAGES and be OLD.) There is a two-fold problem here that has gone on as long as I can remember in churches: 1.)Youth are seen as argumentative, lazy etc. and they should find something constructive to do with themselves. 2)The church provides no job within the body for them to do, and no training with which to do the job. So, with nothing to do, they become argumentative, lazy, and should find something constructive to do with themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe missing link is training. We train up a child in the way they should go, but when they become teens they are given the lists of what they ought and ought not do, and are left to find their place. Most youth groups teach life application principles...but not how to do them. For example, we teach our kids to be good stewards of their resources...but who sits down with these kids and shows them how to balance a checkbook? (Now some will scream that thats the parents job, and I would not disagree, but why not involve the parents in the process? Invite a mom to take a group of teen girls on a grocery shopping trip with a fixed amount of money to make meals for a week! Train them to cook them, serve them, and clean up afterwards. How about a few dads taking the guys out to learn how to do yard work for an elderly saint who cannot do for themselves? These things involve all levels within the body. It also shows that there is room within the "one body" for all, and youth group loses its "cool place to just hang out" atmosphere and becomes the training ground for service within the body.