What is the Role of a Youth Pastor
I'm curious about what you think on this. I certainly have an opinion.
From your experience, what do you think the role of the should be/ is?
From your experience, what do you think the role of the should be/ is?
Labels: youth ministry
posted by mark at
12:45 PM
5 Comments:
Okay - I'm jumping in.
I believe the role of the youth pastor is to create a context that will nurture the formation of the foundational relationships and habits in the lives of students that will keep drawing them towards and transforming their lives through a relationship with Jesus - until they take their last breath.
And now for my "disclaimer". I've been a volunteer leader for our Jr/Sr high youth group for the past two years with no formal training or education in any of this "stuff". (Unless a degree in physical therapy counts!)
How one fleshes all of that out can be overwhelming. I have done a great deal of reading over the last two years. What "frame" do you choose to help in this role?
Purpose driven; Family Based; worship centered; contemplative; missional; Presence centered...the list goes on (and on, and on)
I have finally decided to take the approach I used to take as a physical therapist. Each patient is an individual - needing healing in some way. I can't provide it. I can provide tools, guidance, encouragement, support but I can't do the healing. I see youth ministry much the same. Each student needs the healing redemption and transformation of Jesus in their lives. I can't do it. I can use tools - tools that may be "purpose drive", "Family based", "contemplative", "worship centered" - I use my eyes, ears, heart, and mind in discerning which tool to bring to the situation - and pray that God will heal. Some of this thought process applies at a "ministry level" and some at the "individual level". Training people up in their giftedness (both other volunteer leaders and students), providing tools for them to help create a part of that context, and being amazed at how God provides is so cool....I'm blessed.
Okay, back to my normal "lurking" mode.
I'll keep this short but I think there are a couple things a youth pastor's "job" is.
1. To connect young people to the church body. The youth pastor is there to help the pastor of the church teach and pastor the young people. The youth pastor is NOT the pastor of the youth group but rather a missionary to youth.
2. The youth pastor must model and honest relationship with Christ. Not afraid to fail and not afraid to succeed.
Wow, it is a lot easier to say what a youth pastor is not, than what they are,(or more to the point, what their or our role), is. I think I want to agree with what the "lurking" (tounge firmly in cheek) David Moss says. The role of a youth pastor as I see it is to encourage, equip, and guide youth to Christ. Rather than attempting to do everything for them,(spiritually or otherwise), our task is to encourage them to press into Jesus so that he becomes their source. Too often we stunt kids spiritually by (even unintentionally) making kids dependent upon us for filling all their spiritual needs, rather than equiping them to seek God individually and in community. I keep coming back to the word encourage, or encourager. The American Heritage Dictionary defines encourage as:
1. To inspire with hope, courage, or confidence; hearten.
2. To give support to; foster
3. To stimulate; spur
Has anyone else noticed how many times I use parentheses,(in this post)? lol
thanks David, Mykel, and Joe. I'll comment in a few days after we receive a few more responses!
great stuff.
A youth worker should be the coach on the sidelines to the student players on the field. We need to stop stealing the ball from them.
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