Last Tuesday I had an interview with a church near my hometown. While this was great cause I'm local and didn't have to relocate to enjoy the job, I am glad that I didn't get this position. Honestly, the search committee seemed to believe that I was going to do exactly what they wanted by the book and then maybe put my own ideas in. Well, I could have done that if necessary, but some of what I would like to do required family/parental support to help the youth feel good about having a relationship with God. Sadly, this church really only wanted me to be the kind of youth director who ordered and served pizza and let the kids play volleyball every week. I could parse in a devotional whenever I wished, but apparently they didn't see that as being necessary. I found they wanted me to be more of a babysitter to their youth, rather than an adult leader to them in a way that helps create trust and belonging in a group they want to be a part of.
I felt real committed to wanting to have a great ministry that could grow and help other youth and families feel welcome to know what kind of growth their youth want and are getting. The problem is that this church didn't sound as though they wanted a man with a mind for ministry to come in and ruin what they believe works..which to me seems like punishment by way of excommunication or by smacking them around alot. It's not my nature, and I don't want to dicipline someone unless the attitude is beyond appropriate, at least then I would address the problem and talk with the youth in question about what is going on.
Thankfully, I don't have to deal with this church wanting to make me someone I'm not. I try to be more of a positive model for youth to feel they can emulate, not just like another parent who doesn't care what the kids do and then punish them with timeouts, grounding, taking away possessions, locking them into the house as though they are in a maximum security hole or anything like that. I see now why they only had about 4-12 kids show up from Sunday to Sunday, and then about 20+ only show up when they were having a grand event or going on some work camp trip or campout. I hope this model isn't the only way churches know how to be and that I can grow to be a better youth minister than they thought I would be.
From there, now I'm waiting to hear from our independent league baseball team about having a job with them this summer. Granted it would be about 3.5 months of work, but it would be fun working as an usher, ticket taker, concessionaire, team store worker, or whatever they may choose for me to be. I'll hear about this one this week.
Yeah Cubs!! I know the pitching is skeptical, but with Greg Maddux and Ryan Dempster I'm not too worried there. With Derrek Lee down for about two months, that will be sketchy, but I won't mind it as long as we look for a taller and more rangy first baseman so that Todd Walker can go back to his natural position of second base. It'll get better, with the speed on the basepaths and the ability to steal bases, we can play much more action-focused small ball, rather than always swinging for the fences and settling for a .500-.600 record on the season.
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4 comments:
I graduated in 2004, but I'm still good friends with my youth pastor, and his wife is still one of my closest confidants.
The time a teen spends in the youth group is, in my opinion, the most critical time in their spiritual growth. Since they're so impressionable at that age, I agree that they have to have a solid leader who won't just act as a "babysitter" to them. You sound as if you want to be a strong leader as a youth minister, and that's commendable beyond words.
Actually, I'm getting my gen eds over with right now at RVC. I'll be transferring to NIU (where I'll be majoring in journalism) in the spring of 2007.
Yeah, it's definitely easier to get gen eds over with at a junior college. Where'd you go to college?
I hope you find something more suitable Chad!
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