The Dumbing Down of Youth Ministry

Pastor Dan Burrell, in this article in Sharper Iron, does a great job making many points I have believed for years. Parents must remember that it is not the job of the youth pastor to parent their children, and youth pastors must remember that it is not their job to merely entertain the kids and "make church fun." Both parents and youth pastors/leaders have a spiritual responsibility to God to point those young people toward Christ, toward service to Him, toward loving God and others, and toward personal spiritual maturity.

Churches that intentionally make their youth group a "fun hangout" separate from the "real concerns" of a N.T. church are doing a terrible disservice to their families. Teens need to be "plugged in" to those real concerns....and they may very well enjoy being an active part of the body of Christ. In the church, fun activities are a means...not an end.