Spiritual Formation, Education & Youth
This week, one of our students asked a question that I have pondered off and on for several years. After discussing spiritual formation, the student turned to Kim & I and asked:
“Why is it that pastors need a seminary level education, but youth pastors and kids pastors can get ‘certified’ with far less training or theology?”
It led to an excellent discussion about the positive and negative reasons that help create this dynamic, ultimately leaving the student (and several others listening in) frustrated with this reality. They felt, as do I to a great degree, that spiritual formation for children and youth are incredibly crucial as it represents a phase in peoples lives where they have the greatest freedoms they will likely ever have.
This is not to say that adults are locked into an immovable place where spiritual formation is wasted. By no means! Rather, it reflects the inevitable reality (generally speaking) that the older we get, the more roots we lay down, the more invested we become, etc. making significant shifts in our lives and faith more costly and challenging- NOT impossible, but difficult.
Sadly, while there are excellent programs for educating/training people for child/youth ministry, there is a general attitude (reflected in the materials) that we find these ministries less significant, therefore requiring a lower standard. This does, of course, also lead to the question of youth ministry in general, such as its validity or health in general. Whatever the case may be, there seems to be a flawed worldview at play.
What are your thoughts? Am I off base? Is there is good reason for this approach?
