First, I resonate with the overall tone and questions raised in your blog about departing youth pastors. I know of a number of respected youth workers who are deeply and seriously contemplating a departure from the student ministry playground to go play on another one. I am obviously “guilty” (if that’s what we want to call it) of actually doing the same.

Second, I can identify with each of your bullet points and would also commiserate with Matt and Geoff’s comments as well. There is much pain and carnage inflicted by churches, boards, supervisors and Lead Pastors. After so many “blows” some youth workers have to figure out a way to stay committed to their call to ministry but can’t reconcile getting beat up one more time. The risk becomes too great. I’ll also add that while it seems popular to talk about increasing the ownership of younger, emerging leaders into the fabric of the local church by elder pastors etc, in general, it seems that most are inept at actually creating the space for it to actually happen. For me, this is a great time to ask the “why” questions and decide now that I will lead differently. May Jesus make it so!?!

Third, I dont know what the answer is. Have the numbers reached an alarming rate that cause what we know as youth ministry in America to be threatened? If so, is that even a bad thing? As so called veteran youth workers leave youth ministry for other adventures it leaves the door wide open for younger, newer, greener youth workers to step in. But is this good? Wont this just create further momentum to the ongoing issues – throwing fresh meat into the cycle?! These newer, younger youth workers are no less prepared to deal with the archaic, modern churches/systems. To be honest, it seems almost helpless Chris; if the veteran folks can’t change and influence the system then is there any hope? There are great people doing great work, both in and outside the local church (take you and Mike and the folks at Youthfront for example) but is that going to be enough to turn the tide?

Fourth, I want the local church to win! I deeply want youth ministry to find its rightful new place in the context of local church ministry and long for youth pastors to be seen as legitimate pastors on the team – not the stepchildren of a previous relationship gone bad.

Fifth, after 13 years I’ve finally jumped off the teeter-totter of youth ministry and am now headed into a new adventure – church planting. I desperately tried to stay, fought to stay, prayed and cried and begged to stay in youth ministry. But at the end of the day, my decision came down to calling. For over three and half years I have been trying to find answers to questions that seemed to elude me. I searched for definition and clarity in the midst of confusion. And I’m elated to say that it finally has! I’m grieved to be leaving the full time world of youth ministry but believe any other step other than this one would be disobedient and only bring pain, mess and further confusion to me, my family and those to whom I’d minister.

Finally, I have no idea what “youth ministry” will look like in this church plant in the East Village – but, I know that I still have a love for youth and will certainly pastor and lead differently because of my experience in student ministry. In some very real ways I’ll be able to stay connected to youth culture and still be involved in some unique and great youth ministry arenas.

anyway – thanks for the post and for raising these questions. They are important realities for the church to wrestle with and although somewhat negative from this vantage point, could be the very thing that helps to reculture a whole new kind of youth ministry.

as a youth worker, i know i have felt the effect of all of those things. i have found that the hardest parts of youth work can actually come from the church staff, which is discouraging.

i think that we have a unique occurrence right now. we have postmodern youth ministers operating in modern churches. this frustrates everyone involved! it has been extremely hard to bled the two.

I think that this transition can be a positive thing for the Church as a whole since these missionally minded pastors head off and do ministry in a way that moves away from a model that demands a youth program in order to be “effective”. I am excited to see a generation of student sensitive lead pastors starting to take on the mantle of responsibility in the local church.