Paul Tripp has a great piece on The Gospel Coalition Blog about the tendency we have in ministry to seek glory for ourselves. It’s difficult to think about this idea or read someone’s thoughts on it because it makes us incredibly self conscious. However, Tripp’s approach is helpful and I think in youth ministry we (note the inclusive language) fall into this more easily than others might. Perhaps it goes with the job to some extent. I think what we get away with in working with teens is not quickly accepted in other areas of ministry. More specifically, if I get up in front of teens and tell stories that make everyone laugh or cry – I am seen as a great youth speaker. If a pastor does the same with adults, he might be viewed as shallow or wasting valuable preaching time.
Tripp suggests that pastors / leaders tend to parade themselves by telling stories that make themselves the hero and or share things publicly that make them look very spiritual or righteous. We can be too self referencing by talking too much about ourselves or acting as though our opinion is more important than other. He thinks we either talk when we should be quiet or we are quiet when we should speak up and offers situations in which either of those can be glory seeking. The kicker is his final point on caring too much about what people think of us. I have known lots of clergy who suffer from this and very few youth ministers who do not. Tripp’s article is to be continued and worth following.
Is it possible that the way youth ministry in America has developed, we have catered to a somewhat narcissistic approach to ministry? In my first position, there was a clergy person on staff (who had a son in the youth group) who was convinced that a good youth minister was a sort of pied piper. He literally used that term and suggested that I was not (and therefore should be relieved of my duties). That was not the last time I heard that idea put forth. We have hired the big name “youth speakers” and aspiring to be them, mimicked their approach of entertaining before communicating a point. Isn’t the stereotypical youth pastor the guy who wins over kids hearts by being the center of attention, the class clown at times even, and the source of all knowledge? I am generalizing here and you can opt out of the equation if you want to, but I think anyone who has been around youth ministry broadly (meaning in a variety of contexts) for a while has seen it. I don’t think that churches expect this of their pastor though. I don’t see Jesus acting this way but even if he did, we have to keep in mind he is God and we are not.
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