A few weeks ago, I attended a large gathering of youth workers from around the country. I ran into a friend of mine who has been a youth pastor for nearly 35 years. Running in to Dave got me thinking about the idea of longevity. And after stewing on it for a couple of weeks, I think I might have come to a conclusion. I’d love your input, especially if you think I am missing something. My conclusion is this:
I don’t think longevity is something that many youth pastors value.
I don’t run into a lot of youth pastors whose goal is to stay in one place for a while. Or for that matter, to stay in youth ministry for a while. The reasons and motivations are many, and I won’t venture to make any judgments on the decisions men and women make. But the lack of longevity in student ministry creates some issues.
As my veteran youth pastor friend and I talked about his nearly four decades in youth ministry, he said something profound. He said that he sees two real problems with not establishing yourself at a specific church for at least one “ministry cycle” (i.e., sticking around to see a group of 6th or 7th graders graduate high school):
- Experience: Can you really have the experience needed to set goals, make evaluations, and lead a ministry until you have watched the same group go all the way through? I don’t know the answer, but it’s a really interesting question…
- Influence: Simply put, influence is earned through proven results over a period of time. It’s very difficult to influence someone–whether that is a senior pastor, a volunteer, a parent, or a student–if you aren’t around long enough to develop the relational capital to yield influence.
When we commit to staying at a church for a significant period of time, it seems like we develop invaluable experience and the ability to impact and influence people.
So the question is “Can we identify factors that lead to the under-valuing of longevity by so many youth pastors?”
Here are a few thoughts I had. I’m interested to hear yours:
Culture’s Influence
Longevity at a single company is no longer a value in our culture. Gone are the days of the “gold watch” rewarded for a lifetime of faithful service. Most people will work for four or five companies in their lifetimes. Many will work for more than this. Has this mindset trickled over into the church? Are we always purely motivated by the call of the Spirit? Or are we sometimes motivated by the pull of our cultural context? Are we culturally conditioned to look for greener pastures?
Seeing Obstacles as Exit Signs
So often, it seems like we view friction and relational issues as a sign to bail out. Of course, ongoing strife can be a sign that we need to seek a new opportunity. But is this always so? I think that perseverance and steadfastness are some qualities we as youth workers could work a little harder to develop. Conflict is not always the exit sign. What if we didn’t look to jump ship each time there was a difficult time at our churches?
The Lone Wolf Syndrome
I see so many (SO many) youth pastors leaving the local church to pursue consultant gigs or to become full time speakers. While I believe God calls some to do this and while we operate in a church cultural context that has created (and by extension values) these positions, I humbly ask the question, “Is it better (or more biblical?) to remain in the local church?” I have to say that I am pointing the finger directly at myself when I mention this factor. I ask as someone who has worked in three para-church youth organizations and has benefited financially over the years from speaking at retreats and conferences.
I’ve also been a youth ministry volunteer for ten years and have seen the power of relationship as it pertains to discipleship. When so many excellent, highly qualified, and trained youth pastors leave the local church to speak and consult, students lose valuable relational connection points.
While God absolutely calls us to leave churches and join with other churches, I think we have to honestly ask ourselves if we are always motivated by God’s call, or if there is something else in play.
