Here’s four things that people believe about youth ministry that aren’t true:
- Youth pastors aren’t real pastors – Some of the most caring an genuine pastors I know dedicate their life to serving youth. We often focus too much on the “youth” part of the title – the audience, where we should perhaps focus on the “pastor” part of the title – our job description.
- Youth pastors like to push boundaries for no reason- Youth workers are often accused of pushing the edge of what is allowed in church. I’d like to think it is the desire for honesty and relevance that causes that to happen, not a thirst to shock and awe.
- Youth pastors just play all of the time – Many youth workers have more fun at their jobs and senior pastors envy them. Therefore, senior pastors made up a lie that youth workers just play around a lot to diffuse their own anger about having to deal with adults and have less fun in life.
- Youth pastors don’t need vacations – With all of the camps, mission trips, retreats and overnighters youth workers do, is it really fair to give them time off as well? Besides, they’re not real pastors and play all day, too. Lie!
Add your own in the comments!
JG
Josh Griffin has been in youth ministry for 15+ years and serves as the High School Pastor at Saddleback Church. [
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Geoff Stewart serves the Jr / Sr High School Pastor at Peace Portal Alliance Church in Surrey B.C.
5. Youth Pastors are ugly – no way. All the youth pastors I know are really, really ridiculously good looking.
6. Youth Pastors waste money. On crazy, worthless things like music, videos, games, trips. The youth need traditions and bibles. That’s all.
7. Youth Pastors need to spend at least 40 hours IN THE OFFICE. After all, their job is dealing with paperwork and computers, right? Seeing youth, talking to youth, visiting youth sports activities, visiting schools, meeting with volunteers – HUGE wastes of time!!! Get a lock and chain so we can control those youth pastors!!!
8. Parents don’t need to get involved in their child’s spiritual formation. That is the youth pastor’s job. Youth pastors should be able to ensure Christ-likeness with just a few hours a week spent in instructing students.
9. Youth pastors are supposed to keep those students out of the way of REAL church so the adults can worship God and learn from His word.
10. Since youth pastors aren’t real pastors, they don’t need to be full-time. They can be youth/children or youth/music without any trouble.
I couldn’t agree more. I would add one though. Youth Pastors are ultimately responsible for the spiritual training of all the kids of the church even though Deut. 6:6-9 says the following to fathers:
These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.
According to Stuff Christians like, they need facial hair. . .
Youth Pastors don’t just make change for the sake of change.
every youth should sit with the youth pastor in every service b/c after all if they like him they’ll want to be around him every day
You struck a chord brother so I had to continue your list over at my blog….gave you some props and nice….uh…warm…reference. Ha! http://www.confessionsofaworshipper.com
Youth Pastors are expendable. When one quits because of burnout, there is always another 20-something that can fill the role for 2 more years.
man, good content today…like the podcast, just enough insights…
I have probably experienced a little bit of all of those in the last 3 years of ministry.
How about this one – is at least appropriate for me..
Youth psators don’t care about the whole church, and want their youth ministry to take it over.
Youth pastors are inexperienced and really have no idea how to minister to the students. Deacons and trustees know how to better than the yp.
I really like that youth pastors aren’t real pastor. Even though my job description is technically “Director of Youth Ministries” I refuse to call myself the youth director. I’ve been to seminary, but am not ordained (beacause in my denomination, they’ll make me an associate or senior pastor…blah…) So, I’m the youth pastor….
Youth Pastors are just in a holding pattern until they are ready to be “real pastors”
I got one. Youth pastors actually like youth
Youth Pastors do not need help from anyone. They can do all that “stuff” on their own. The “lone ranger” concept.
Youth Pastors are A/V eperts and can fix any and every computer problem.
Just wanted to let you know I linked this article form my blog. Hope you don’t mind:
“Great article about how many view youth pastor’s. From Josh Griffin at morethandodgeball.com”
http://www.globalinnes.com/blog
changed the grammar error too.
Where are we in the count?
How about YPs aren’t real theologians
a YP must have a gotee
a YP must play guitar
a YP must be within 5 years of age to able to cool enough to relate
a Youth Pastor is lazy and unprofessional
a Youth Pastor is always late
a Youth Pastor wasn’t good enough to teach adults, so settled for kids
a Youth Pastor isn’t worth as much as the other pastors – if cuts need to happen then are the best to cut first
a Youth Pastor is only good a speaking to students
a Youth Pastor’s wife is his chief volunteer and available for any extra tasks he can’t accomplish
good stuff… and so true!
A Youth Pastor needs discipline, so let’s make sure he has traditional office hours…
A Youth Pastor is really an Associate Pastor, thus needs Associate Pastor duties and responsibilities on top of Youth Pastor responsibilities…
Anyone could do what a Youth Pastor does…yeah right!
Wooooo! This got us cranked up didn’t it?
Youth Pastors – buy one, get one free. The youth pastor’s wife is part of the “package”.
The truth is that youth pastors are evidence of a miracle working God, look at out wives. How else would we get such hotties if not by a miracle? And they may not necessarily, as a YP’s spouse, be called to youth ministry.
If the YP is lady does that mean her husband is super good looking?
@ Andy. . . “If the YP is lady does that mean her husband is super good looking?”
Nah, if SHE’s a youth PASTOR it means she left 1 Timothy and Titus out of her reading and so she doesn’t get the blessing of the hottie spouse.
These are GREAT ones, wow! I guess I struck a chord with this one?
JG
Ouch Terry. Ouch
Youth pastors are a dime a dozen.
Reminds me of a few articles I wrote:
http://ymexchange.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=114&Itemid=66
Combating Generalizations of Youthworkers
and YM As a Crutch
http://ymexchange.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=144&Itemid=52
Being a youth pastor is supposed to be a time of preparing to be a senior pastor. (this one gets under my skin a bit)
We’re horrible at administration and organization. . .wait, that’s actually pretty true of a lot of us.
Youth pastors don’t need deep doctrinal study and presentation because “kids” just want fluff and lite Gospel. Just glorified Jr Church level Bible with some tear-jerking stories added in.
Youth are too young to do anything in the church or have any opinion so the youth pastors opinions don’t matter either…He just hangs around students because he doesn’t want to grow up.
Ok, I have to weigh in on the female YPs having hotties for hubbies. We sure do!
And my hubby is expected to be the caregiver of our children even if he is working when I am expected at church or on a trip or at a youth event or at a bible study or … or … or
If my wife was the youth pastor she would qualify because her husband is a hottie.
After 9 years as a Student Pastor, I still love to hear, “You get Paid to do this!?!”
But I always think to myself, “I’m really blessed to get paid to do this.”
Not a lie but a stupid expectation in many churches:
Youth Pastors are the only staff required to be at every single church function.
I keep running into other youth pastors that seem to think that they have to be the guy who’s >= 35 that tries to dress like he’s
Sorry for the double post, my programmer symbols threw off your forum software.
I keep running into other youth pastors that seem to think that they have to be the guy who’s >= 35 that tries to dress like he’s (less than or equal to) 21 in order to try to fit in more with the teens. Goatee, backpack, t-shirt with the logo printed not on the front but from the middle of the chest-across the shoulder-to the middle of the back, with words that are very difficult to read, skateboarder logos that are euphemisms for drug paraphernalia, etc.
I think a trap that many youth leaders/workers fall into is the idea that you have to be culturally relevant to the point of compromising your Christian principles just to reach teens.
Almost completing my first year in my first full-time Youth Minister position, I have to say that the 4 listed are a reality, but in a different way for me.
1. Youth pastors aren’t real pastors – Well I am considered a pastor, but not as important as the Senior Pastor.
2. Youth pastors like to push boundaries for no reason- I have not been accuse of this, but I have gone against a tradition in my denomination of using any form of instrumental music for worship or video clips.
3. Youth pastors just play all of the time – I am not sure what my Senior pastor thinks of my job. He is new and has never worked with a Youth pastor, so he just kind of lets me do my thing.
4. Youth pastors don’t need vacations – Well I take vacations, as part of my job agreement I get 10 days off a year. Last time my wife and I took a weekend off we had people thinking we quit, so maybe there is something to this “don’t need vacations” mentality.