Comments on: The Youth Ministry Gap

By: Ken Rawson

Ken Rawson — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:26:40 +0000

Great stuff here Adam! looking forward to seeing you next week.

By: Jeff Lutz

Jeff Lutz — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:25:21 +0000

Having been a volunteer from both sides of the fence, there is a gap. I think that YS has done what they can to help both out with the curriculm issues. What I see as the need, is being able to help the volunteer who may not know what they are doing with a professional in the community. Bridging the gap, to me, means being able to link the professional “down the street,” with the volunteer at another church so that all of the students are spiritually fed.

By: mark riddle

mark riddle — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:45:14 +0000

right on adam! no critique from here, only random thoughts.
thanks for bringing it up!

By: Tim Young

Tim Young — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:29:57 +0000

Adam, your assessment here is right on. I’ve been in both groups. I was a volunteer youth leader at my last church and left there to become a “professional” at another church. Boy was I naive. I thought the “pro” position would be just like the volunteer one. But I quickly discovered if I was going to do my job well, I had to delve into the world of youth ministry philosophy, models, strategic planning, etc. This isn’t to say that I was negligent as a volunteer leader; it’s just that as a full-time staffer, the church expects a higher level of “production”, for lack of a better term.

By: adam mclane

adam mclane — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:23:46 +0000

all- please excuse the 80/20 generalization. The numbers were simply to point out that there is a majority and a minority.

mark- thanks for adding to the discussion. I don’t really claim to know if this is really a big deal, more just an observation that there are two groups of people calling two different things “youth ministry.” In the end, it is the same. Both groups reach out to, engage with, and minister to teens. And I love both groups. I’ve just been starting to recognize that I need to reply/mini

By: mark riddle

mark riddle — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:54:19 +0000

Jeff: you are not alone.

By: Jeff Richards

Jeff Richards — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:50:26 +0000

Mark : I think I’ve been living that nuance for the last year.

By: mark riddle

mark riddle — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:39:14 +0000

great stuff Adam. I’ll toss in a few other thoughts.

I like the gap here. I think it’s pretty intuitive to see that there is a gap between those who think about they WHY rather than simply the How?
If we go with your thesis here that the two groups are those who either are struggling to get by and those who are looking from the 30,000 foot view of youth ministry (and one could argue, the whole church) then I’d add a bit of nuance.

I’d suggest that there are more than 20% of youth leaders who are asking the WHY question and I think the number is growing.

But I’d suggest that the churches these folks serve within are the second group who only want to know HOW?. and I’d suggest that the crossroads for youth ministry over the next 10 years lies in the fact that:
-Youth workers in the first group stink at leading people into owning the ministry. Sure they build teams and some of the teams outlive them. but most of the folks serving in these professional youth pastor’s ministries are only cogs in the professional’s highly nuanced machine. waiting to be told what to do by the person really in charge.
- Some people aren’t wired for nuance. they are only wired for tasks.
- youth leaders who actually want to empower a congregation for “youth ministry” are often undermined by a church system that doesn’t allow for such things. This both hinders nuanced yth min but also reinforces the yth pastor as the focal point. Plus, it subtly reinforces a feeling of both victimhood and entitlement in the mind of the professional youth worker that hardens hearts and taints the ministry they lead.

There are very few churches who creating ownership within their community where people of the church see themselves responsible for the well being of the whole, without control, or manipulation and move in collaborative ways toward a common mission.

sorry, for the nuance.
great thoughts man!

By: Ashley Smith

Ashley Smith — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:16:12 +0000

@Richard… so true. I have experienced that tension…

There has to be a way to bridge the gap… I fall into the “20% category” and have often been ostracized for reading books, going to conferences, and so on… I do believe that every Christ follower is empowered to minister, not just “professionals” but do you think that the 20% seem intimidating to the 80% who are giving their time to serve? Do you think that sometimes the 80% get discounted because they are just concentrating on their church?
Are there different means to achieving the same goal? Is it a matter of relevance?

By: Adam McLane

Adam McLane — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:15:04 +0000

Nick- I think the vocational people probably think they are superior. But it’s important to remember that the others don’t even know or care about the vocational side.

I don’t think one is better than the other. They are two different groups.

Who does YS cater to? Both actually. Ask a vocational guy if he uses out of te box talksheets. But meet a church only person and ask the same question.

Is the bridge gapable? Remember one side doesn’t know the other exists. I’d say it’s gapable in local communities if the vocational person sees themselves as a resource and not the expert.

I dunno, I just observe and share. You tell me what it means!