"Youth-led movement"

[Zymologist]

This thread is going to be extremely age-ist and prejudiced. You've been warned.

I've been hearing this phrase a bit in the past several months, and the concept holds no interest for me at all. It's about one step short of horrifying, actually.

I don't want to be "youth-led." Sorry, but I'm 27 years old, I've been married five and a half years, have three kids, am a homeowner, have held down a full-time job as an engineer at the same company for also five and a half years, and I don't want to be led by someone with my level of life experience/knowledge/maturity, and certainly not less. I really don't.

If I'm going to be mentored or discipled by someone, I want it to be someone with life experience; someone who has been tested by life, and who has held firm. I want to hear the wisdom of my elders; I don't particularly want to hear the "wisdom" of some dude in skinny jeans and with too much hair gel.

Before someone mentions the inevitable, yeah I know about Paul's instructions to Timothy. I actually have a good friend who's about four years older than I am, in approximately the same position in life as I am, and he is successfully pastoring a small church. It's working out, and I respect him a great deal. So yeah, I'm generalizing here.

[Bisto]

lol. I agree. Even on the times I don't like hearing my pastor's instruction or rebuke to me, in retrospection I can tell he's right. And sure, there may be some things where I have studied a little more, but he speaks with the voice of experience in these and all matters having to do with our faith and practice as children of God -- so in the end, I find I'm usually nitpicking. I can't imagine similar interactions with a pastor my own age or barely older than me, unless it was a person who has walked a remarkable path in the Lord, with wisdom and experience beyond their years -- and that is, indeed, hard to come by, and beyond mere generalizations, as you mention.

In my latest job (a professional training kind of thing, since I'm not yet done with university), my boss is about my own age. While he appreciates my work, I'm doing my best --I hope--, and I appreciate his feedback, it's only logical that a more experienced superior would find more opportunities for improvement in my work, or be more likely to have reservations with some of it, or see more possible new directions I could tackle -- directions that neither I, nor my actual boss, see right now (oh, we do see ways to improve and move forward, but they could be better and more). In fact, my interactions with the company manager were like that, and I usually learned more things when discussing my work with her. She must be in her fifties (and she's a sister in the Lord and an intercessor in her own words, so that's certainly a plus :D).

Point is, the same mechanics apply. While I am absolutely certain we can provide some younger perspective which may well be needed, and we can be voices of straightforward idealism in some cases (or witnesses to the latest forms of evil), let elders be elders nonetheless

[Meh Gerbil]

The only good youth movement is when they move to the front lines.

[Thoughtful Monk]

Me neither. This seems to be a world opinion coming into the church. Look how much emphasis is put on youth and how they will change the world. In the last election, they forgot to show up.

I favor experience, too. So logically, I would have no issues following a 30 year old with 10 years experience in a subject over a 50 year-old who never did it.

[Zymologist]

The only good youth movement is when they move to the front lines.

I thought you were going to say, "The only good youth movement is a bowel movement."

[Jedidiah]

. . .Before someone mentions the inevitable, yeah I know about Paul's instructions to Timothy. . . .

Keep in mind that while Timothy was seen as young he had been schooled by Paul. How many of the young church leaders you are thinking of have any where close to that sort of background?

[Darth Executor]

This thread is going to be extremely age-ist and prejudiced. You've been warned.

I've been hearing this phrase a bit in the past several months, and the concept holds no interest for me at all. It's about one step short of horrifying, actually.

I don't want to be "youth-led." Sorry, but I'm 27 years old, I've been married five and a half years, have three kids, am a homeowner, have held down a full-time job as an engineer at the same company for also five and a half years, and I don't want to be led by someone with my level of life experience/knowledge/maturity, and certainly not less. I really don't.

If I'm going to be mentored or discipled by someone, I want it to be someone with life experience; someone who has been tested by life, and who has held firm. I want to hear the wisdom of my elders; I don't particularly want to hear the "wisdom" of some dude in skinny jeans and with too much hair gel.

Before someone mentions the inevitable, yeah I know about Paul's instructions to Timothy. I actually have a good friend who's about four years older than I am, in approximately the same position in life as I am, and he is successfully pastoring a small church. It's working out, and I respect him a great deal. So yeah, I'm generalizing here.

I used to agree, but given successive failures (particularly by boomers) I no longer care. Yes, ideally, an older and more experienced person would be preferrable, but the traditional relationship between ancestors, successors and the living has been utterly obliterated. On top of that the massive, rapid social changes means that old age simply isn't of the same benefit it was when generation after generation grew up, lived and died with very little social change between them. If anything the older you are the harder it is to adapt to new realities, which is a liability when new realities are popping up every few years.

[Sparko]

Damn bouncy youth pastors, GIT OFF MY LAWN!

[bling]

[Ana Dragule]

I'm happy when Protestant ministers don't have a practical uniform of sweatshirts and flipflops.

[Jedidiah]

I'm happy when Protestant ministers don't have a practical uniform of sweatshirts and flipflops.

I have been a protestant since my salvation and I have yet to see anything like that. What is the point of your comment?

[KingsGambit]

I have been a protestant since my salvation and I have yet to see anything like that. What is the point of your comment?

Some younger pastors dress very informally. Usually non denominational.

[Ana Dragule]

I have been a protestant since my salvation and I have yet to see anything like that. What is the point of your comment?

As Kings Gambit said, its more common in nondenominational groups, also perhaps more common in the south west of the US. I have literally seen that outfit on several ministers.

It's hard to take seriously an adult who seems like they are trying so hard to be in with the youth, fit in with the youth, look like the youth, practically be the same kind of youth (+5 to 15 years) and looks more college student-like than I or many of my other friends did as college students. It's like sometimes they try to hard, and that makes it hard to listen to them. A Someone who is actually younger I would probably try to take what they say at least for where they are coming from as a younger person. Maybe authenticity and genuine passion are more important in a movement than age. Flashy Jesus stickers and Jesus-y pop punk music isn't me (at least not any more than overdone worship songs). Sometimes youthfulness is perhaps sometimes mistaken for the merits of youth and a lack of youthfulness for the authentic knowledge and leading of the Spirit.