Young leaders are worth every ounce of investment | Lessons from the Last 15
For some reason, I was under the impression that it was a promotion to minister to adults. Youth and family ministry was an entry-level position. Gain some experience and someday you could become a real pastor. How misguided. When my Dad came home for lunch he would turn on the news report on the radio. I remember the agricultural report, and the announcer talking about “futures.” There is an investment in the church that could be called, “futures.” Young leaders are worth every ounce of investment.
Young Leaders Try New Things
On Mondays at 7:45 AM, I meet with a group, primarily under age 25, for Pastoral Leadership Seminar. We are joined by a retired pastor and some second career folks that are interested in a pastoral vocation. We have been reading and discussing Eugene Peterson’s The Contemplative Pastor. After our discussion, we pray specifically for one of the participants. We speak God’s word over them and bless them. Then we divide up some of our pastoral work. We take turns delivering DVD’s of the worship service to the homebound. We make pastoral phone calls. We bring the Lord’s Supper to the backyard of those who are comfortable with that kind of visit.
“There is an investment in the church that could be called, ‘futures.’ Young leaders are worth every ounce of investment. ”
Two months ago we started the discernment, discussion, and study to share the preaching responsibilities during Advent. Matt helped us with an introduction to Isaiah. Ben helped by naming the focus of the themes of the Old Testament readings. I introduced them to something called an inductive Bible Study of the lesson on which they would be preaching. We read the great sermons of Fleming Rutledge for examples of clear gospel proclamation. John and Emma and I shared the preaching this last week. On Sunday, I sat and listened to the law and gospel come to us from God, through John and Emma. The investment was worth it. Emma posted later on Instagram, “I got to write part of a sermon this week on Isaiah 64 and was struck by the imagery of the advent of Christ being like a sunrise after a long night...I’m ready; I can wait with true expectation for the sunrise and the coming of the kingdom. Thy Kingdom come.”
Young Leaders Ask Real Questions.
Kierra makes Youth and Family Ministry look like something to which any minister would aspire to be promoted. She is not an entry-level minister. The pastoral care is authentic. The worship is heartfelt. The proclamation is biblical. The fellowship warm, even during this colder COVID season. She is equipping the young saints for works of service. She is gifted and could almost do it all herself, but where she goes, a team goes.
She planned a “stump the pastor” night where the High School group could ask me anything via an anonymous text message. They submitted 21 questions. We had to plan another meeting because we only got to 5 questions the first night. Here are some sample questions, and I’ll leave them unedited—text message version:
“If you see people in a fight, what action should be taken if you are trying to achieve Godly justice?”
“How should we respond as a Christian to injustice?”
“was there ever a time when ur faith for god wasn't as strong?”
“when i do bad things, i know god will forgive but how can i forgive myself?”
“Is there any scripture in the Bible that you struggle with. In terms of wanting to take the Bible as the infallible word of God but you don't want to agree with what the scripture says?”
“God is a God of justice, but I struggle seeing the justice present in the book of Joshua where innocents are killed with God's guidance for Israel to conquer its land. Was this just, or are there differences in our concepts of justice and God's?”
“so uhhhh, do you use hair wash or body wash on your head?” Note, I’m nearly bald.
“why infant baptism?”
“How do Christians begin to reconcile the hurt done by the church itself (for example the LGBT community)?”
“i cry almost everyday because my heart and soul feels broken, empty and alone and sometimes i turn to god but i feel that everyday, things get worse and i don't really understand, does this mean god is making me stronger right now and i may not know it and he might have something good coming for me in the future?”
“Grace sets you free to not know everything, to not have arrived yet.”
Except for the questions about body wash on my head, which I have a hunch came from one of my own kids, what adult could ask better questions than these? But, many adults have stopped asking questions like this. In the Jewish tradition, the Seder meal’s liturgy includes four questions from four children. One child is rebellious because they don’t care about the answers for themselves. Another child is too simple to understand. Another child doesn’t even know how to ask. But, the wise child asks questions for themselves. Jesus told his adult ministry group (the disciples) that they needed to become like children. I don’t think Jesus meant for his disciples to become immature. They already demonstrated frequent adult-style immaturity. He was calling out curiosity, that gracious attitude whose credo is: I believe I don’t know everything, and I’m not afraid or ashamed for you to know it.
Grace sets you free to not know everything, to not have arrived yet. Middle of life crisis is often keenly felt because we think we should know more, should have gone farther, should have reached higher. God shows no favoritism. He loves every generation with the same fiery passion. But, train up a child. Stand at the crossroad and ask for the ancient path. Don’t let anyone look down on you because of your youth. Let the children come to me. Young leaders are worth every ounce of investment.
Lessons from the Last 15 is a series of articles from Pastor Nathan Hoff on the occasion of his 15th year in ministry at Trinity San Pedro.
“It seems like they need me,” I said pretentiously to a dear family I was visiting in the first congregation I served. Just shy of three years at that Call, I broke the news about our upcoming relocation to Southern California. It was the Fall of 2005, and I had recently received and accepted a new Call to Trinity Lutheran in San Pedro, California. How that family managed not to roll their eyes is more impressive as the years go by. I had a lot to learn.
October 31st marked the 15th anniversary of my installation as pastor at Trinity San Pedro. They didn’t “need” me in the way I thought they might need me. They did need the Gospel, and I needed it too—as desperately as anyone else. I still do and they still do. We are a good match.