I’ve spent the past few years as an “over-the-hill” student pastor. I’m old enough that I have kids of my own in the youth group, and I did not start parenting young.One of the challenges of staffing when it comes to a student pastor hire is the “age versus experience” quandary. A young student pastor, whose not far removed in age from the youth, identifies better with the students but the parents are nervous over his lack of experience. A pushing-40 student pastor, with a few youth-age kids of his own, helps parents feel more secure but the students feel disconnected from his “ancient” age. So, what’s the right age for a student pastor hire?
To me the “age vs. experience” quandary is irrelevant if you hire a student pastor to lead leaders and not just lead students. In my tenure, I have chosen to lead through young adults called student-leaders. These are are competent volunteer leaders who are beyond youth group age (>17) but still young enough to connect well with students. I see my job as leading youth through leading young adults. Effective senior pastors do not lead all the adults directly, why should student pastors lead all the youth directly? Besides it’s no secret that churches often lose 18-24 yr. olds. Using young adults to lead student ministry not only keeps them connected, it also allows them to leverage their age for leadership and that is maturing.
Join the Conversation: What benefits or liabilities does age bring to youth pastoring? Leave a comment below.
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