So, let’s say a mom of two teenagers comes to you and says, “My husband is spiritually absent from the family and we’re really looking for a place where we can plug in and grow spiritually. Can you do that for us?”

What response would you expect from a typical youth pastor?

“Why, of course! In fact, we have several programs and small groups that are designed to do just that for you and your kids!”

But stop and think about what just happened in that natural transaction.

There’s several things we could pick apart, but let’s boil it down to this:

If the youth pastor deeply believes that the family is God’s design for passing faith to the next generation, why does the church and its programs become the automatic solution for this problem?

Instead, what would happen if a youth pastor said, “No ma’am, I’m sorry, I cannot replace your husband’s spiritual role in your family and neither can this church, but I will do everything I can to pursue your husband.”

This might be the best youth pastor those kids ever had. In fact, that youth pastor may influence an entire family tree instead of just a mom and two teens.

What we deeply believe about family will influence how we do youth ministry.

Posted on March 5, 2013