Dave Hinkley serves as Director of Children and Youth Ministry at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, MI. He wrote this insightful article at the Gospel Coaltion blog with four valuable pieces of advice for youth pastors. (We give Dave mad props for mentioning the book of Rooted blog contributor, Brian Cosby.)
1. Relationships matter much more than coolness.
I hope your church is past the myth that the best ministers are young
and hip. The best ministers are those who love the gospel of grace and
are eager for young people to love it, too. The ‘type’ of person who
does that really doesn’t matter. My most effective volunteers have been
old ladies, young moms and awkward post college sci-fi nerds. All cool
in their own way no doubt, but none of them shop at Hot Topic. Young
people’s hearts are spoken to through trust and not through coolness, so
make trustworthiness your goal above “relevance”.......
Read the entire article here.
I really appreciated his point about parental support and trust in youth ministry. I've found that to be so true in my own experience. Takes time to develop, but worth it. Sharing meals with parents has been particularly helpful for me in this area.
ReplyDeleteAnyone else have any other practical advice for how to cultivate a parent's trust...?