Are We Too Proud To Listen?

image of teens jumping in the moonlight

This post was written by our director, Dr. Brian Foreman.

Many congregations make the assumption that if they could just hire a young pastor with a young family it would attract other young families. It seems like a logical jump until you consider the things the new young pastor is tasked with usually are more focused on maintaining what is, rather than tending to what could be.

Perhaps a better approach to consider is an asset that is already in your congregation…teenagers. This is a group so full of life, hope, dreams and optimism for this world, and they could change your congregational culture. An active and engaged group of teenaged leaders can transform a congregation’s perspective and ministry. In their book, Growing Young, Powell, Mulder and Griffin, suggest that young people infuse a congregation with:

  • more service
  • more passion
  • more innovation
  • more money, and
  • more overall health (pp40-42).

The question is, are we willing to listen to them?

At CYTI, these are the very teenagers into whom we are investing. We are confident they can transform the world, and maybe even a few congregations, by being inspiring their missional imagination for how God can use them.