(Youth) Pastors That Make a Difference

Somewhere around the early 90's, I started to notice that the younger generations were changing -- again. As someone who started out in youth ministry 21 years ago, I believe that "change" is the only constant in ministry to and among youth. The way I originally discovered myself becoming more "emerging" in my outlook was completely due to the fact that I worked with youth and young adults. We didn't call it "postmodernism" at the time, we just realized that things were changing, and we needed to change as well.

Being in youth ministry -- coupled with a healthy respect for a missiological understanding of the advancing Kingdom -- was the 'back door' that ushered me into the present emerging conversation.

The late Mike Yaconelli wrote a provocative article a few years back that has become -- in my observations of youth pastors today -- not only an accurate assessment of our church culture, but also an increasingly pervasive experience for many of the young pastors that I meet, here in Kelowna as well as other parts of Canada and the United States.

Yaconelli's Getting Fired for the Glory of God is an eerily accurate assessment. If you don't believe me, befriend some youth pastors, earn their trust, and listen to their stories. Mike's comments in the article are grievously accurate.

I have met or heard the stories of youth pastors -- just this year -- who have been fired for not "bringing in the numbers", for choosing a discipling ministry model over a big-event-driven attractional model, and for daring to question the corporate approach that too many churches are falling prey to.

My interest in breaking down inter-generational division is still strongly held, but for the sake of some of the youth pastors who are currently trying to find their way "in the system", I will be posting some thoughts on youth ministry in a postmodern culture in the coming days.