A Youth Pastor’s Desire

By Doug Franklin May 19, 2011

Being a part of a ministry that directly serves youth pastors, I have over the last two decades heard countless stories of pain from youth pastors about the relationship they have with their senior pastor. These stories have broken my heart and caused me great sadness. These stories of pain have been caused by many different things, but they all pretty much deal with missed expectations the youth pastor had for this key relationship. Most youth pastors long for their relationship with their senior pastor to be filled with mentoring, but instead they might find someone who is simply looking for performance and results. The youth pastor may feel like a second rate staff member, being squeezed by the pressure of more responsibilities and lack of finances for their new family.

Youth pastors long to be poured into because most understand they don’t know everything. Most of these young men and women went to school to learn how to develop students, yet when they got a job, they were not prepared to make a budget, manage a staff, or handle parent relationships. Senior pastors have the experience and the knowledge of how to handle many of the overwhelming situations youth pastors find themselves in, yet they may miss the opportunity to mentor them, wishing instead that the person they hired would just be able to do their job. This relationship has the power to be something great, and it is what many youth pastors are longing for, but they do not know how to communicate this to their senior pastor. When senior pastors and youth pastors are connected, they can truly serve and meet the needs of their congregation, and grow together in the process.