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gonzoguy -> RE: Youth Leader (12/4/2007 1:31:20 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Hayseed
No.
But let's look at the "scantily clad" thing: would you want your boys ogling the youth group leader? Would you want your daughters to think it's okay to dress that way?
I would expect that this would be something monitored by the parents and not by the church. Suppose this girl were actively involved in community service, donated regularly to charities, and had a thriving relationship with God and others. Should we still dismiss her or question her spirituality because of her clothing?
quote:
ORIGINAL: Hayseed
We need to be extremely careful of what we put in front of kids because they're not mature enough to handle things like adults.
Well, first, you are assuming an awful lot about kids which may or may not be true. Second, what I've heard espoused so far (judging someone else's spiritual maturity level based on her clothing) doesn't sound like handling it like an adult.
quote:
ORIGINAL: Hayseed
I know that most churches hire the guy out of college on the "first rung of his ministry career" as the youth group leaders, and that's the sad thing: We should have the best minister for our kids because that's where we lose them out of the church!
Well you've jumped to several conclusions here. I'll list them for you:
1. Youth ministry is the "first rung" of a career for recent college grads.
2. This is sad.
3. A recent college grad cannot be the "best minister for kids"
4. Kids are lost out of church because of the problems with youth leaders or youth groups.
Now I'll address all of your jumped-to conclusions:
1. For many who go into youth ministry, they plan on being in youth ministry long-term. Some may see it as a "first rung"; however, this is not an inherently bad thing, either. Everyone needs to start somewhere and if not in youth ministry, then where? I don't suppose you'd like a recent college grad to be the senior pastor. Or the mens/womens pastor - after all, if they are right out of college they don't have much experience in that area. How about a children's pastor? No, I think you'd want someone who has a lot of experience. Lets see...worship pastor? No, college grads just play their contemporary music all loud - they don't really know what worship is.
So, then, where would someone ever start?
2. Whats sad is that you've jumped to conclusions on what a recent college grad is capable of.
3. A recent college grad can be as good a candidate for kids as the next guy if not better simply because of age. Most youth pastors are young because kids don't tend to trust people who are a lot older than them. They seem as just another mom or dad who is trying to tell them what to do and what is right. Further, a recent college grad is closer to the mindset of a kid than a 50 year old guy would be (as a general rule of thumb) simply because the 23 year old youth pastor is more likely to engage in the same/similar activities as the kids whereas the older person will not. And not only will the older person not engage, but they won't understand either. This is, for example, one of the many reasons most adults think video games are bad. They simply don't understand. They didn't grow up with it and they don't understand it, so they demonize it. A recent college grad, on the other hand, does understand because they've been there. Further, because the college grad is closer to the kids in the way he understands things and because the kids trust him, he has more ability to speak truth into the lives of young people.
4. I would suggest that kids are "lost" out of youth groups not because of some flaw with the leader or the group itself, necessarily, but because as they get older and come to the age where they should be integrating into the larger congregation, they feel a profound sense of disconnect. Adults don't do it the same way as kids and adults don't want to. Further, as I already demonstrated, adults chastise the kids for stuff that doesn't really matter (i.e. video games). So, as a result, most kids think it would just be easier to leave than to try to live up to mom and dad's religion (I use this word with intent). Rebellion also plays a key role in this as does one's relationship with their parents...
Now, could the youth group/leader help with that? Sure! But its not on their back entirely.
quote:
ORIGINAL: Hayseed
We're talking about level of maturity that a leader should possess to even be qualified as a leader in the first place.
Right. And you seem not only to have an idea of what level of maturity that actually is (as if there were some sort of measuring tool that qualified individuals for ministry), but you also have an idea of what it does and does not look like - which, as has been pointed out, is simply another, more modernized form, of legalism since you are content to pass judgment an another person based on looks alone.
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