What is our calling?

One of the things I have been grappling with is exactly what might be the future calling of youth ministers. If we believe all that is being written and the studies that suggest the end of youth ministry as we know it, the question becomes “what is our future?” Mark Yaconelli wants us to get contemplative. Tony Jones might have us go postmodern. Rob Reinow may take us down a path of training up parents as disciples of students. All of that could lead to an identity crisis for the modern youth minister! I do think that the radical suggestions and major shifts are more likely to lead us gradually down a newer path than to end what we have been doing for decades. (in other words, don’t panic) I also think we have to reimagine what our calling is and listen closely to what the spirit may be saying to us collectively. What I am hearing loud and clear is that we need to self identify as gospel ministers with a particular focus on youth. Our calling first and foremost is to the gospel! That would suggest to me that our training and development need to be primarily in the arenas of Bible and theology. Yet most youth ministry training has been on how to do programs. This explains my excitement for Enroute because it is rooted in training volunteers with gospel truth first and foremost.

A couple weeks ago at the YS Convention in San Diego, teenager Zach Hunter, author of “Be the Change,” was interviewed and asked, “If you could say one thing to these youth ministers in the audience, what would it be?” And he said, “Give us the Word. You aren’t doing that anymore.” Wow! As one youth pastor friend of Susie heard this, his reaction was that we focus too much on issues with teens and not enough on the foundations of theology and scripture. If we spend most of our time focused on the issues of how to grow up Christian, we feed kids the answers. If, on the other hand, we teach them the foundations of theology and scripture, they can find the answers to the issues! Now you know the passion behind the main messages at re:generate where we covered the sinful nature of man, the sovereignty of God, and the redemptive work of Jesus on the cross. This is worldview shaping Biblical truth!

Let’s be gospel ministers not just youth ministers!

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