Transcending 'Young' and 'Old': Intergenerational Youth Ministry & the Solution to Volunteers
By Dr. Steve Vandegriff
Executive Director of the Center for Youth Ministries at Liberty University
I was in one church in Tipp City, Ohio (near Dayton), where the church invested in a youth center (The Avenue) on site. The attendance of teenagers in the area was overwhelming. I met a retired individual who became the “go to” person for all the skaters who were coming. Retired guys tend to know how to fix things. They may not know skateboard linguistics (decks, ramps, rails, grind rails, etc.), but given a little time, they can figure it out. So this retiree got to know a bunch of middle school students who were all about skateboarding, and they loved this man, regardless of his age was.
Counting the Cost (and Reaping the Benefits)
When making purposeful placement of older generations in youth ministry, there are some other factors to considation a person’s spiritual gifting(s), personal skills and personality. Some would say spiritual gifting trumps personal skills and personality. I would disagree. All three must fit together. Probably your best ally is time—time to see how they are doing, the reaction of students, and the gaining of rapport (or lack of) with those students. Are they comfortable around students? Are students comfortable around them?
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A second factor would be permission to volunteer—specifically for parents. OK, here’s another highlightable statement: Not all parents are qualified to be involved with youth ministry simply because they have teenagers (or were once teenagers). They’re kind of like pseudo-teenagers, either reliving their own adolescent years, or living their adolescent years vicariously through their own teenagers.
Here is a trick of the trade in youth ministry. Have parents get permission from their own teenagers to work in their youth ministry. Either their teenagers won’t mind; there is no way during this lifetime that will happen; or involvement will be conditional. Those conditions will vary from a limited amount of time, to a trial basis. Actually, anyone involved among your students should be on a trial basis.
Intergenerational youth ministry is nothing new, but for some, it has been abandoned. It needs to be revisited purposely. An atmosphere of dependence and need on all the generations should be cultivated, with the right people doing the right things in the right places.
What better place to foster community among the generations than within a church family? Everyone benefits. Weaknesses can be strengthened by others. Inexperience will give way to those who have experience. Teachers will have students. Students will be taught. Spiritual maturity will trump immaturity. Mentors will mentor. Teenagers will be reconciled to God. It makes sense.
Content Provided by: Youth Worker Journal.