Youth Ministry Follow Up

I don’t have writer’s block. Seriously, I mean that. The funny thing is, I have really entered into a good conversation regarding youth pastoring, and really pastoring in general. I have some things I’d like to get into on this blog, but time constraints prohibit me from continuing my current discussion and also producing anything of value otherwise. Because I am beginning this post later in the evening, it will not be as long as the last one. In case you read that last post all the way through, I must say that I applaud you, for you are certainly more resiliant than I would have been.

Though this post is written as a response to Glenn, the points I am making are universal in scope. Also, I will not quote him as thoroughally as I did yesterday. If you would like to read his entire comment to yesterday’s post, it is there for you to read.

He opened with a question that is essentially asking, “How do you pastor someone who is dead in their sins.” I paraphrased his question, leaving out several key details that have been discussed before because each of these details is a manifestation of sin. The quick answer to this question? I’m not sure that you can properly pastor someone who is not marked as one who is, or who will one day be, a sheep in the flock of God. You can minister to them, and we are called to do just that. But to pastor is to shepherd, and shepherds exhibit their care for the sheep first and foremost.

The Bible often refers to the people of God as sheep, and sheep need a shepherd. Jesus is the good shepherd, who lays down His life for the sheep. Pastors are called to shepherd the sheep of the great flock in the quantities given them by the master. We are not to take sheep from another pasture. We are to sacrifice all for those sheep entrusted to us. There are goats with the sheep and it ultimately will be God who separates us. It is our duty to tend to the flock, assuming that they are all sheep unless they show themselves to likely be goats. And even then, the Bible calls for us to be exceedingly careful about taking a wayward sheep and removing it from the flock, rather than correcting it.

Part of that means that you need to look for potential in these parents, and believe in your heart that they just may be willing to change their ways. Easier said than done? Of course it is! It is impossible for man to do this, but nothing is impossible with God. We are called only to be obedient, even if the rest of the world is ready to give up on these families. If Jeremiah could be called an iron pillar (note the singular noun, not the plural), it stands to reason that God would strengthen him enough that he could act as a lone support to the structure that God had in mind. Can I suggest Jeremiah 1:17-19 as a fighter verse? It is well worth memorizing, especially if you realize that these words were written for anyone who feels that they are called to teach a message that nobody is interested in.

Luke 10:2
And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

Begin with prayer! Pray that God would open the doors of one of these households that you may be allowed to speak with the parents, and proclaim the gospel to them. If the fields of Samaria were white for harvest, couldn’t they be ready even today? We are not to be licking our fingers so that we can tell which way the wind is blowing before we venture out. After Stephen was stoned, the church scattered preaching the word wherever they went! And who was it that did the preaching? It wasn’t the apostles, for they remained in Jerusalem. It was the laity.

In modern terms, it was the kind of people that comprise your youth group. Are they learning the value of the gospel? This is not a slam on you, but a reminder to all who hold leadership roles in churches. One function of the church is to equip those in the church to spread the gospel. Back to worldviews for a moment. If it is true that the gospel is the hope for the redemption of all of creation, doesn’t it stand to reason that a focus of the training we receive must be geared toward enabling all of the invisible church to defend and to spread the gospel?

John 15:5
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Regarding my youth group, I mentioned yesterday (on page 212, paragraph 8 ) that I am not a youth group leader in any official capacity. I am a redeemed sinner who is eager to be further equiped to carry out the function of one who proclaims the gospel to all who will listen. There is no different gospel for those of different socio-ethnic backgrounds. Revelation mentions redeemed people of every tribe, tongue and nation coming together in a redemption of the rift that occurred at Babel. Imagine if you will, that all barriers that seem so prohibitive to us today will one day be meaningless by the power of the gospel! To cater to one group and exclude the others, even to small degrees, is an offense to the gospel of redemption.

Redemption is our task in the short time we are granted. We are to work to straighten what sin has made crooked and we are to do it by the power of God, lest we claim the credit for ourselves. If someone’s parent is sinful, we must strive to make contact with them, to find out how they are hurting, to encourage them, to present the gospel to them. It is better that some of the kids see the power of the gospel as it changes their parents into a better model for their kids than all of the kids come for an hour or two a week to be presented a worldview that conflicts with every other aspect of their life.

As Dan originally said in his post, the first step is to remove the commonly held role of the youth pastor and then to replace it with a role that does not conflict with a Biblical worldview. As you will notice, I am paraphrasing here as well. Nobody I know of wants to see you unemployed. We would just like to see the youth groups out there become more than a subculture within our churches. We want one unified flock, not numerous sub-flocks scattered around the hillside.

Finishing at the beginning, we need to remember that the church is a called out body of believers. It is there for God with the instruction that we are to worship Him in spirit and in truth. As we learn to love Him with all our hearts and with all our souls and with all our minds (Mark 12:30) we are being prepared to perform our evangelistic duties at the level where we are at. Yes, a youth pastor is given many opportunities to proclaim the gospel to the kids who attend. But the task of evangelism begins when the kids tell their friends that they too can be restored by the gospel of grace.