This weekend I am going to be speaking to about 45 students ranging from 13-18. The theme of the weekend is Unlikely Heroes and the focus is finding our call to be "heroes" in the kingdom of heaven. I was sitting here working on the sessions when a thought occurred to me. I am going to tell these teenagers that they have the ability to do wonderful things for the kingdom of heaven. I am going to tell them God has placed a call on their hearts and they could be heroes.
I am going to tell these students, they have the ability to find their calling and live out a life being the person God is creating them to be. Yet, many of these teenagers will not be offered any leadership role outside their expected social role as a member of the youth group. I am going to tell these youth that they are the leaders of today; yet they are most likely not going to find a leadership role on a church committee or on the deacon board because they are not encouraged to find one.
I'm wrestling with that truth right now.
How can we claim them to be leaders if we do not entrust them with serious leadership roles within the church? How can we expect teenagers to be a part of the church if we only encourage them to lead within their respective social church groups? How can we expect youth to claim ownership of our visions and stories if we do not allow room for their leadership abilities in our heavy leadership roles?
How many of your church's youth sit on committees that are not youth related? How many of your youth are nominated every year to be ordained as a deacon or as a church elder? How many of your youth sit on search committees, vision committees, or community ministry groups?
Why not?
Because they are too young?
Not quite mature enough?
Are we adults really that much more mature? Were the disciples really that much more mature?
Are we not told to not look down upon someone because of their youth?
A couple of years ago, I proposed to the deacon chair that they open the deacon nominations to our youth. I had several who were wanting to have an invested role in the church and wanted to be a part of the deacon board. The chairperson came back to me and said, "We talked it over, it's never been done, so we decided they could be junior deacons. If they'd like to." I declined.
Normally, I work to find a solution that is win/win for both parties but this was not a win/win. It was their way of saying, "You can be a part of the group but you can't be a part of the group." Either they were fully ordained deacons or they were not. Either they were treated in the exact same manner as an adult who was nominated or they were not. They were not going to be JV deacons. I believe in allowing space for our youth to be leaders, to have real leadership roles in our churches.
I have books that are on my shelves and on my desk telling me how to get youth involved but not one of them suggests giving them a real leadership role within the church. Not one suggests having teenagers and adults work side by side on Sunday school committees, or Community Ministry teams. Not one dares to challenge the church to chose seven faithfully mature teenagers and lay their hands on them and ordain them.
Not one.
So the message we give to our youth is this: We want you to come to church. We want you to sit quietly in our pews. We want you to have fun in youth group. However, you're here to be seen not heard or lead."
We can form all the task forces we want and explore the reasons why youth today rarely commit to the church life; but I again ask, "How can expect teenagers to darken the doors if we do not expect or allow them to lead from the same positions we entrust to adults?"
Why not open our leadership roles to youth who want them?
What are we afraid of? Are we afraid that these teenagers would lead better than we do?
Are we afraid that our churches will suddenly find themselves filled with excited teenagers who make us anxious? Are we afraid that our churches will have a new sense of youth and vigor and excitement?
What are we afraid of?
We have nothing to lose by opening our leadership roles to our youth and children.
Nothing.
We do have everything to gain.
Everything.
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