February 3, 2003
Don't have a youth minister? Look at home
___By Marv Knox
___Editor
___ARLINGTON--A church can minister effectively to youth even without a youth minister, Leighton Flowers told participants at the Texas Evangelism Conference.
___"Your church is not sub-par because it doesn't have a youth minister," said Flowers, a youth evangelist from Wylie. He led a workshop for pastors of small churches who want to strengthen ministry to teenagers.
___"In some cases, churches can be even healthier without a youth minister on staff," Flowers said. That's because churches, including pastors and parents, sometimes neglect their responsibilities to young people when they hire a youth minister to do the job, he added.
___Parents should be the primary ministers to youth, he insisted, citing Scripture references that admonish parents to train their children and children to obey their parents.
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___And although the key influences on teenagers have shifted wildly in the last 40 years--with the influence of pastors falling from third place to 17th, parents rank high in influence on their own children, he said.
___Still, pastors have a significant role to play in developing teenagers spiritually, he noted, citing the Apostle Paul's admonition to encourage young people to be self-controlled and to teach them through "integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech."
___Pastors can and should lead youth in their church by praying for them and guiding them, Flowers said.
___"Be a strong, stable spiritual leader," he urged. "Youth don't need a buddy; they need men to show them what a real man should be. Youth need and even desire standards and boundaries to be set by those they view as authorities."
___Rather than becoming consumed with planning youth events, pastors should focus on "training them in godliness and equipping their parents to fulfill their God-given roles," he said.
___"The activities will take care of themselves as the parents begin to fulfill their God-given roles," he predicted, calling for ministry to parents as the key to quality ministry to their teenagers.
___The pastor can equip and enlist parent leaders by conducting a training weekend to help them understand how they can lead and by enlisting parents to volunteer for youth/parent ministry.
___The first key in this task is prayer, he stressed. "Often, we have not because we ask not. If you need help, ask God to send it and believe he will supply for your needs."
___A good place to start looking for these parents is the church's children's ministry, he added, noting parents who are "passionate about parenting" are the ones who may best fill the ministry role.
___Another source comes from "model parents," Flowers advised. "I'm always watching families and thinking to myself, 'I like how she treats her son,' or, 'I'm impressed with how he communicates with his daughter.' These parental standouts could be good candidates to ask to lead your parent ministry."
___Often, these also are the most-involved parents, he noted.
___Volunteers should be solicited directly and honestly, he said.
___"The No. 1 principle is to ask people face-to-face to get involved in a unique ministry opportunity within the church," he explained. "People want to be believed in and empowered to serve God in a unique way in the church.
___"You won't have to do much explaining to show the incredible needs that exist within your church's families. Look and ask, and you'll be surprised at who God might have waiting."
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