Where Have All the Youth Pastors Gone?
Thoughts on the Current Youth Pastor Shortage
Churches across the nation are finding themselves in an interesting predicament. They have open youth pastor positions, but they can't find anyone to fill them. Youth pastors used to be a dime a dozen. But now they seem like a needle in a haystack. Why is this happening? Where have all the youth pastors gone?
Much of the commentary about why this is happening boils down to two ideas.
Churches aren't demonstrating enough care/respect for their youth pastors.
Youth pastor compensation is too low.
Though I do agree that these are contributing factors, I disagree they are the main culprits for the shortage. Lack of respect and low compensation have always been problems in youth ministry. They have caused high turnover rates for decades, but not shortages. So why the shortage now? I believe deeper things are afoot. These are some of my thoughts.
The Missing Generation
This one seems like the most obvious. Think about the age range you would expect the typical youth pastor to be. Now take a look around in the average church's sanctuary. How many people that age do you see? No doubt, there is a correlation. When we ask where the youth pastors have gone, we might as well be asking where the Millennials have gone. The answer to one will be the answer to both.
Waves of Theological Change
Among those younger generations who have stayed in the churches, there are some pretty sizable theological shifts occurring.
A resurgence of Reformed theology. The revival of Calvinism in the last several decades was only the beginning. Calvinistic soteriology has been the entry point for many Christians into the broader Reformed tradition. Among other things, this includes:
Covenantal theology instead of dispensational theology
Confessionalism instead of individualism
Doctrinally driven instead of emotionally driven
The list could go on, but you can see how this doesn't fit well with the kind of youth ministry that has long been prevalent in the churches.
A Return to an Integrated Church Mentality. Not everyone has gone full integrated church, but many younger Christians have at least moved toward it. Some have chosen to reject age segregated ministries all together. Others are fine with them as long as they gear toward family involvement.
A Higher View of the Family. Many Christians in younger families are seeking to maximize their family time. This doesn't fit the longstanding youth ministry model of constant activity. Former generations would have seen missing their own child's birthday for a youth event as a necessary cost for the ministry. This generation sees that as unacceptable.
A more biblical understanding of the office of pastor. A party planner/event coordinator is not a pastor. The current generation of “secondary” pastors is starting to notice the qualifications and roles presented in church job descriptions. They are noticing that they often look nothing like Scripture's description. The church may call them pastors (youth pastor, children's pastor, family pastor, etc.), but in reality they are just glorified program directors. In many churches, memorial day weekend is the time pastors put their youth pastors in the pulpit because lower attendance means less damage if the sermon is a wreck. Scripture requires that elders/pastors/overseers (these terms are used interchangeably) be able to teach. So why are we referring to people we don't trust in our pulpits as pastors? Many are noticing the disconnect.
New Vocations
There is an ongoing exodus from full time vocational ministry. Proportionally speaking, youth pastors are leaving in greater numbers than senior pastors. Some are going into bivocational ministry. Others are leaving for full time secular work. Many of them are doing so because they want to provide their families with better financial stability. They've experienced having their livelihoods ripped out from under them by surprise meetings and forced resignations, or they've watched someone they know go through it. They don't want to put their families through that again.
Others are leaving because they see what might be coming. Based on the trends in congregations across the country (see the first point on the missing generation), it is a safe bet that as congregations shrink, the full time youth pastor position will become a rare find in the future. In response, rising numbers of young men are pursuing secular careers instead of ministry careers.
What Do Churches Do About It?
That is the question of the hour. I am blessed to be in a great church that cares well for its pastors, but I know that is not the case everywhere. I don't have all the answers, but I do have some suggestions.
If you can, pay your pastors what they need to support their families. Don't undercut them. Cut the flower ministry out of the budget if you have to. If you must, stop ordering expensive quarterly Sunday School materials and walk through Scripture together instead (it's free, ya'll).
View everyone you call pastor as a pastor. Don't want him in your pulpit? Then he shouldn't be a pastor. Do you trust him in the pulpit? Then treat him with the same honor and respect that you would your senior pastor.
Do you have a godly youth pastor? Do everything you can to keep him.
Pray for the harvest among the millenial generation.
Reassess your view of what a youth pastor is and what a youth ministry should look like. Use Scripture, not culture. Involve your youth pastor in that assessment. I guarantee you he has been thinking about it.
Remember that the Lord has promised He will build His Church. So, don't get discouraged.
Interesting perspective. I've been a middle school youth volunteer for several years and we've experienced this shortage too. I have thoughts on why this is for our church that I won't air here. But it's interesting that this seems to be a trend and not specific to just us.
I'm somewhat more concerned with the idea that this author believes that teaching doctrine and balancing ministry and family time are reasons churches are struggling with youth and youth pastors ...