It’s clear to me why those who want to change church focus on youth so hard to the exclusion of other groups really…because they really want to win over the future. The trend in churches is to have seperate youth ministry, and to pull kids away from their parents. This way, the pretrained youth workers can present whatever they want and change the kids first. This is why so much training happens at Youth Front. If you can get the youth ministers at churches to change, then you can change those churches. Waiting out the old people who will leave or die means your philosophy of church wins.
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I don’t think this was the genesis of youth-focused churches. It has a greater root in the desire of some churches to sheild the youth from “worldly” things, so programs and gatherings and activities are created to try and keep them in the church and busy. What parents didn’t realize though is that this meant they had less influence in the lives of their children than their “pretrained youth workers”.
Yes Joshua, I do see your point. I can see parents and pastors wanting to provide the alternative to the worldly. We see this with parallel things like contemporary Christian music, Christian dating companies, and other things that the world contains offered in a Christian way. I recall doing youth groups in high school many years ago, they were encouraging to me because my parents weren’t Christians. I guess I don’t think all youth ministers and pastors did start with the premise that they should train the youth differently and trick the parents. It has been though, seized upon by more modern youth workers seeing a feast of opportunity to push forth works based teachings and contemplative religion. It’s also a place to market, market, market. I do agree that this did mean less parental influence in the lives of children. It may not be the known intent in many churches, but I do know there is a wedge being drawn between the generations. Youth pastors actually point out how ‘out of touch’ parents are. Well, they might not seem so out of touch if the family worshipped together and learned the same things at the same time. We attend a church where the Sunday school classes study the same thing and any child over 3rd grade is in the regular service with their parents. Family can talk about what htey learned together very easily. If error were to creep in, family could redirect together. This opportunity is lost when churches seperate the generations so much.
I did not mean to imply that all youth workers deviously seperate the teens from adults, just that some train the youth workers to do this and do take advantage of the seperation. This is how videos, teachings, and other things can be happening without parental notice.
True. I agree youth and parents should learn together, which is why I prefer house churches. I’d caution though on the idea that “seized upon by more modern youth workers seeing a feast of opportunity”. Let’s give charity. I think it’s more of, because the youth workers themselves are of a different generation than the parents, there are different things they’re being encouraged. Thus, that’s going to rub off on the youth they shepherd.
I guess I’m thinking specifically of some older youth workers training the younger ones.
At my former church the youth workers were older than I am (and I now have a 12 year old). One was my age or a bit younger…but the pastors and others were older. Also, those training many of the local youth workers in our metro area (and in the states around) are older and are truly trying to seize upon opportunity. I do not mean they have a motivation to be deceptive…I just think they market and parents think it’s great. Some of the guys I’m thinking of run training sessions draw people from all over, and draw many. Those who are doing the training are emergent as evidenced in their cohort meetings in past years, in books written, and in podcasts. They are not portraying themselves as this though at some training sessions…nor are the camps being portrayed this way. The churches who participate or send pastors for training may also not realize these training leaders are emergent and do have plans to remake churches through the youth. I have charity for pastors to a point…and to youth workers who may not be informed. Those that are informed though should really be in the scriptures rather than in all these books on remaking church…
Of course, I do not know where you are coming from and your perspective on this. I am writing based on what I have seen in specific circumstances, and have certain types of people in mind.
Certainly, and to be intellectually honest I should let you know that I have been involved with emergent. The thing I see as sad about it is that because people involved with emergent come from different backgrounds we have different ideas. We are not one cohesive group. There are “leaders” within emergent whom I agree with and others whom I disagree with. I suppose it’s like how America works. “I may not like what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Some very good things have come from people saying things that others don’t see eye to eye on. And some bad things. That’s just the way it is. But at least the conversation flows. I don’t know what took place in Vineyard for you to fear, but I’d encourage you to have a open, yet discerning eye. I certainly know that any group can have people on the “fringe”, and emergent is no exception, especially because of the lack of, and aversion to, top-down structure. This has been what has saved emergent from destruction.
But it also can be it’s greatest downfall. When someone says that they do anything having to do with emergent, they’re immediately lumped in with everyone else. It would be like if I told you that, twice a year, I go and shoot pop cans with a pellet gun, and you were to come to the conclusion that I am a radical, gun-hording survivalist who’s hiding in a shelter full of freeze-dried food waiting for the New World Order to come (To quote Seinfeld, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that”).