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Table of Contents
ASK THE SUPERINTENDENT
Ministering to Today’s Youth
Young people today are not interested in a gospel of compromise. They're bold, courageous, and they will go after the devil with all the forces they have.
Why is youth ministry critical for the church of Jesus Christ?
TRASK: The youth of our church are not only the church of tomorrow, they are the church of today. It pays dividends to invest in youth. Youth today are as passionate, or more so, than any time in the history of the Assemblies of God. They are committed to the Lord Jesus Christ, to their testimony, and to their church and its youth ministry. Our youth are a wonderful asset. We must invest our time, energy, and resources in the youth of the Assemblies of God.
What are your thoughts about the use of contemporary methods to reach the youth of America?
TRASK: I remember when people from the Jesus Movement—wearing their tank tops, sandals, and shorts—began pouring into our churches. The churches that said, "These people don’t fit our mold and style" missed a tremendous opportunity for evangelism and discipleship. Churches that welcomed the Jesus people had the joy of seeing a great harvest. Today, many of these former Jesus people are adults in our churches, and some are even pastors.
It isn’t a matter of style; it’s the content. We don’t compromise the message—that is sacred. But methods are not sacred. Churches need to make adjustments—as long as they don’t water down the gospel—to reach young people. Young people today are not interested in a gospel of compromise. They’re bold, courageous, and they will go after the devil with all the forces they have.
What about smaller churches that cannot afford a youth pastor?
TRASK: I have pastored small and large churches. A pastor can use parents who have teenagers or those with a burden for youth to work with the youth group. A pastor can help laypeople develop into qualified leaders by training and mentoring them. In one church I formed a council of adults with a burden for youth. They initiated a youth program and did a great job.
How do you transition from leadership by lay leaders to youth pastor?
TRASK: As a youth group grows, it will exert more and more demand on a layperson’s time. Today’s youth are relational; they want to connect. If a layperson doesn’t have the time to give to the youth, a youth pastor needs to be hired. The laity who have given leadership can form a support group for the new youth pastor. This will help them not feel ostracized because they haven’t been taken out of the youth ministry. They are just being used in a different way.
What makes for a strong youth pastor-senior pastor relationship?
TRASK: First, youth pastors must be loyal to their senior pastors. If a youth pastor can’t give his* loyalty, he has a responsibility to make a change. He can’t undermine the senior pastor and lead the youth, because the youth will pick up that spirit. Then the youth pastor is responsible for sowing seeds of disloyalty, and that must not happen in the kingdom of God.
Second, a senior pastor needs to communicate with his staff. They need to know his heart, vision, and concerns. Sometimes frustrating situations develop because there is a lack of communication. Communication keeps the youth pastor from riding off into the wind, doing his own thing.
Also, the youth pastor shouldn’t be spending money and making plans without bringing the senior pastor into the planning. The senior pastor must know what’s going on with the youth. The youth pastor needs to have the pastor’s blessing and approval. Many times senior pastors would be supportive if they were brought into the initial planning phase when ideas can still be tweaked. When they’re left out of the loop, senior pastors are put on the spot because they are brought into the picture after the fact. Youth pastors need the counsel and input from their senior pastors.
What advice would you give to senior pastors on mentoring younger staff members?
TRASK: Some youth pastors have just graduated from Bible college. They are young, lack experience, and need mentoring. It is important, though, that a senior pastor not break a youth pastor’s spirit in this process. Someone said youth pastors are like young stallions—full of energy, vision, and plans. They are eager to see something happen in the youth program. That’s wonderful, and you don’t want to chill that. But you must have balance. It comes back to the matter of submission. The Scripture says, "Let the younger submit himself to the older." If we’ll follow the scriptural admonition, it will work for both parties. (For a further discussion on the subject of mentoring, see the article in this issue entitled, "The Road Map of Mentoring: How To Give Directions to Younger Staff" by Dan Reiland.)
What has impressed you the most about our youth and their giving to missions through Speed The Light?
TRASK: Giving to Speed the Light has been phenomenal for the youth of this Movement. Many denominations look at the Assemblies of God and wonder, How can they get their young people to raise $12 million?—a record for the youth of this Fellowship. Giving starts in the younger years. Missions is the emphasis of our church. Many young people have gone on missions trips and missions-evangelism projects and have caught the spirit of missions. They see the need for projectors, cars, boats, and equipment to expedite proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am proud of the sacrificial giving of our youth and the district leaders who encourage and challenge them.
In 1999, our youth surpassed their goal of $12 million. And this year the goal is $25 million. Our youth are willing to take their shake and hamburger and babysitting money and give it to missions. Some of the stories about how God provided this money are phenomenal. The young people in the Assemblies of God are giving sacrificially to missions, not out of pressure, but willingly from their resources.
Share a final thought with our district Youth Directors.
TRASK: The greatest work of a district is in the district’s youth. The best investment a district youth director can make is to invest time, talent, and treasure in the youth. It pays dividends.
As I preach in churches, sometimes a person asks, "Do you remember me? I was in your youth camp. Remember the problems and the hard times I gave you?" And now they’re adults, serving on church boards or active in ministry. I think, I’m thankful to God for the investment I made in their lives.
Many of our Assemblies of God missionaries were called at youth camps, youth conventions, and youth services, and it still happens today. God has called pastors and evangelists as a result of youth ministry and youth services across this Fellowship.
I’m a firm believer and a supporter of the youth of the Assemblies of God. They’re the finest; they’re the best; they’re the most committed. I don’t worry about the church of tomorrow. The church of tomorrow is going to be as strong or stronger than it is today because of the commitment of our young people.
* We recognize that the call to youth ministry is not gender specific.
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