Where in the Bible is youth ministry?

At the last church I attended I was heavily involved with youth as a lay person, we didn't just preach to them though we got them involved we took them to nursing homes to Mexico to a handicap orphanage even just to the mall to talked to people and every were we went there was a bible study, to answer your question I'm not sure it is in the bible, but I know these kids were shown how to do the Lords work, not just talked to about it.

P.S. Sometimes I wish I were still there.

 

What? You haven't studied the parts of the Bible where Paul ministered/taught the young Timothy? Timothy was YOUNG! Why do you suppose Paul told him to "let no man despise your youth"?

Young = youth = Paul had a youth ministry

My personal belief is that youth ministries should prepare the youth to "go forth...", just as Paul was preparing Timothy to minister to others.

 

youth ministry isn't in the Bible. In fact, teenagers (as we define them) aren't in the Bible either. The idea of a "teenager" is only around 100 years old. Following the formation of this age group/life stage is churches creating ways to specifically target them.

As far as teaching them...there will be very little educating if all you do is a handout with reprinted Scriptures. That is just a philosophy of education issue. To teach anyone, no matter what age group, you need to understand the learner and use methods that they will connect with. Often times people look at those methods and call it "silliness" or "horseplay". But then again, sometimes youth pastors don't know how to teach, and all they know how to do is play.

 

*sigh*


Maybe if a person is a pastor, yet their focus is on the younger generation and their parents....is that a bad thing?

The hundreds of students we encounter whose parents offer no spiritual guidance...what about them?

Also....shouldn't a youth minister also strive to minister to the families of students?

 

But Paul still talks of Timothy's "youth" in the phrase you quote from 1 Timothy 4.12, some 11 years after the events of Acts 16. And anyway, Paul did not minister only to younger people, which is what the terms "youth ministry" and youth pastor" would seem to imply.

 

There are plenty of other things that would qualify as "strange fire" before youth ministry, but since that discussion would hijack this thread, I'll refrain from going there.

The fact remains that all generations are going to hell quickly, and the Church as a whole is sitting on its hands. Unless the Church begins to reach outside its walls and comfy pews and begin to interact with the world on a relational level (in not of, remember?) then their blood will be on our hands.

 

Reading Scripture is not teaching. Teaching requires more effort than the ability to read the English language.

No need to turn this into "you don't think Scripture is sufficient" just because I think there is some effort needed to succesfully teach someone.

 

where in the Bible is the idea of a budget?
where in the Bible is the idea of associate ministry staff?
where in the Bible is the idea of a worship leader?
where in the Bible is the idea of Sunday school?
where in the Bible is the idea of Sunday night worship?
where in the Bible is the idea of indoor plumbing?
where in the Bible is the idea of a preschool department?

your question is what we in the biz call am informal fallacy b/c it presupposes everything we do ecclesiologically is rooted in Scripture and does not need some type of cultural contextualization.

Youth/student ministry, when done well or excellently, is the way we will fortify the Church for tomorrow.

 

Good to see you back, Brother!

:wavey:

*watches thread to see where it will go*

 

lol...I was being ironical...seriously man you need to chill

So in the church where you attend/serve, do you only have an eldership?

Your argument breaks down to a very important detail...do you believe in allowing our churches to have eldership/leadership that is in a plurality and can seek to minister appropriately to varying groups or not?

Also, do you believe that we can incorporate so called "modern" elements into our ecclesial structures or should we return to the New Testament form of papyrus and quill?

BTW, I don't buy your position that the only form of ecclesial government and church polity is eldership/overseer. Read a bit more deeply into the Acts and epistolary literature and you will discover some deeper truths.

 

I don't know...maybe print it out on a piece of paper and give it to them.


"I rarely gave time in the 'program' for siliness, horseplay, drama, skits, et. et. My handouts were merely reprinting the Scriptures and expounding the Word of God. "

 

We are to go and teach all the nations, which would include all ages as well. We have a responsibility to teach our own kids. While this shold be happening in the home, it usually doesn't, so it falls to the church corporate body.

Not only is a youth ministry an extension of the Great Commission to our own kids, it is also an extension to others. I know our youth group includes many kids who are not members of our church and do not attend our church. Several of these kids have been saved through our youth ministry.

Where else wold you find it in the bible? How about training up a child? The bible regards everyone who is not a full-grown adult as a child, which includes today's teens.

Handing out scripture is a hard way to try to reach teens unless they are already well-versed in scripture. I use the scriptures to teach the teens, but I use it in teaching, I don't just read it to them or just preach them an expository sermon. In order to get the truths of scripture across to them, you have to do so in a way that they will actually hear and not ignore. For my group, that involves getting where they are in their lives, being blunt honest with them, and showing them how the truth of God's word has a direct bearing on their lives, their actions, their thoughts.

Just because an individual is young, be they 17 or 7, they need to have God's truth taught to them. Sititng on a pew is not the most effective way to do this. The bible does not give specific instructions on how to conduct services, or even to have pews, so we take it upon ourselves to do this as best we can. having a youth ministry is just another way we do this.