I was so jarred by the quote that I thought I should turn it into a blog post, which would hopefully foster some input from my friends who are pastors, youth pastors, staff ministers, youth group leaders, or youth group participants (or survivors?).
I haven't had a chance yet to read up on the church's website or anything else the pastor in question has written. I have no idea what has led him to hold such a seemingly extreme view, but I do hope that I can gain some insight as to why he feels the way he does.
At this point, I can't imagine that I'll ever agree with him, but I would at least like to try to understand where he's coming from.
I gave it some thought, Dave.
ReplyDeleteResponse to Dave's Post on Hipster Christianity
Maybe too much thought.
Dave, my two cents, too.
ReplyDeleteI don't mean at all to detract from or disagree with my husband's very informative post. But I'd like to address a slightly different angle.
Joe addressed your closing comment regarding understanding where Fitch is coming from. I'm going to address the issue of youth groups themselves.
Yes, as Joe said, the purpose of church (and therefore, it's subsets) is to teach the Word and administer the Sacraments. But an additional bonus of youth group is to encourage our children to appreciate the gift of Christian friendship. In my life, I have been blessed with many strong Christian people who have helped and supported me in my Christian life.
I want my kids to understand that blessing. That starts with encouraging them to participate in things that will celebrate and sow the seeds of such Christian bonds.
Some parents/kids may want from youth groups only social things, others may want only devotional or Bible study type things. But the mix is good and wholesome.
A Bible study or devotion sets the tone for the business meetings or social event. A business meeting will give the kids an opportunity to practice Biblical interaction skills; sometimes these meetings can even become somewhat frustrating or heated. The umbrella under which such meetings are transacted gives the kids a taste of Biblical love and security. They know that all present love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, even when they may not particularly "like" each other.
Similarly, a purely social event will give opportunity to practice Biblical friendship. The kids support each other throughout their various social joys and frustrations; and they engage in activities without the pressures of succumbing to foul language or inappropriate conversation content that might be part of their non-church related friendships. The participants develop bonds with each other that can last a lifetime; but even when such bonds are not be strong enough to last a lifetime, they set the foundation for the importance of Christian friendship.