The Hidden Message

By Doug Franklin May 20, 2011

Most senior pastors have a model youth pastor they would like to hire. They make lists of the skills and character they want to see in their new youth pastor. They post this list and pretend to make the interview process about determining if an applicant fits the description. So the applicant who the senior pastor likes the most comes for an interview and they ask them to speak to the students. This by the way is the real interview. After the applicant leaves the parents and the pastor try and determine if the students LIKED the applicant. If students like the applicant he or she will most likely get the job. Doesn’t matter if the applicant fits the model that the senior pastors was looking for or if the applicant has the skills set needed for the job. This leads most youth pastors to respond to the hidden message and act in a way that students like them. Youth pastors end up doing all kinds of stupid stuff hoping to keep the powers that be happy by keeping students happy. The goal of youth ministry is not to make students happy; it’s to make them into the image of Christ. So let’s stop the hidden message and let’s support youth pastors in the hard and dangerous work of transforming students.