What Makes A Youth Pastor?:

BACK IN THE 90S THERE WAS A STEREOTYPICAL YOUTH PASTOR.

He was a young, hip, 20-something who had just graduated from Bible college or grew up in the church he was now serving. He was loud, played guitar, and had a stellar video game collection. He introduced students to games that today would lead to a lawsuit, drove the church van like it was a hot rod, and only stuck around for 2-4 years. He typically got talked to by the elders at least once a month about the students’ and his behavior that the church didn’t like.

FAST FORWARD TO TODAY AND YOUTH PASTORS LOOK EXCEPTIONALLY DIFFERENT.

We come in all different shapes, sizes, personalities, ages, and backgrounds. And not all of us are male either. We live in a very different world where youth ministers have changed and grown into capable leaders and servants who remain in with youth ministry for years, even decades. But the reality is that the perception of a youth pastor has not changed.

There are still those who look at youth pastors as assistant-level staff, who do not function in the same capacity as senior-level staff. They still see a youth pastor as the immature and brazen young person looking to make a name for themselves. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Many of today’s youth pastors look exceptionally different.

Yes, many youth pastors will be young and fresh and looking to take the world by storm for Jesus, but that doesn’t just describe youth pastors. But the truth is that there a variety of styles, shapes, and personalities when it comes to being any type of pastor. It isn’t an age or maturity issue, it is a calling.

SO WHAT MAKES A YOUTH PASTOR?

The calling and passion that God Himself has instilled in someone’s life. I have had the pleasure of learning under, working with, and witnessing youth pastors of all different types lead and care for students. They were loud, soft spoken, energetic, reserved, up front people, the behind the scenes type, gifted in speaking, a counselor, a Disney movie lover, a cat hater, a big kid, a theologian. But most of all, they were men and women who above all else loved Jesus and loved students as He did.

TODAY, YOUTH PASTORS ARE VASTLY DIFFERENT THAN THEY WERE BACK IN THE 90S.

They aren’t looking to use youth ministry as a stepping stone to being a senior pastor. They aren’t looking to break all the church rules and upset the elder board. They aren’t looking to be everyone’s best friend. They are looking to love students where they are at, to be a beacon of light in a dark world that tells students God doesn’t matter or care. They are ministering to students who have been hurt, abused, told they aren’t worth anything, forgotten, cast out, and left alone.

Youth pastors stand together under the banner of Christ to care for the upcoming generations that are hurting and broken. They are old, young, short, tall, black, white, Bible school dropouts and seminary grads. They are dynamic speakers who draw crowds and quiet disciple makers who draw 4-5 students. They are musicians and people who sing poorly and loudly proclaiming the salvation of Jesus. They are fallen people who would do anything to be the hands and feet of Jesus today to the students they serve.

I AM PROUD TO SAY I AM A YOUTH PASTOR.

I am not a silicone mold, I am my own person. I do not fit the stereotype. I am broken, I am sinful, I am forgiven, I have a calling, and I love students. To all my fellow youth pastors: you matter more than you know! We may never hear it, but the impact we have on the lives of the students we serve is greater than we will see this side of heaven. Fight the good fight brothers and sisters, and never fit the mold! Be you, be unique, and be the hands and feet of Jesus to students you serve.

I am a youth pastor!

*Originally published on Youth Specialties

Hell is Real, Let us Go:

The aim of my life: rescuing people from eternal suffering and bringing them into the everlasting joy of knowing and worshiping Jesus.

Why do people need rescuing? Because hell is real.

Hell Is Real

Some professing Christians would rather skip all the “unseemly” bits about eternal judgment at the hands of a wrathful God. In the mildest form, these Christians are uncomfortable about this teaching. They don’t deny it; they simply wish it wasn’t there. In the most strident form, these Christians may reject the doctrine of hell altogether as unworthy a loving God and perhaps a throwback to less enlightened eras.

But what if we believe what we say we believe about the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible? Then from Moses to the Lord Jesus’s earthly ministry to the concluding scenes of Revelation, the Bible confronts us with this harrowing truth: Hell is real. Souls are punished there. Escape is impossible. And it lasts forever.

It’s almost too much to think about. How many millions and millions of souls now suffer God’s just punishment for their rebellion in sin? Christianity isn’t made acceptable by removing thoughts of hell. Christianity is made urgently beautiful by properly considering the reality of hell.

Time Is Short

How many will depart this life to a Christless eternity before you finish reading this article?

• 55.3 million people die each year.
• 151,600 people die each day.
• 6,316 people die each hour.
• 105 people die each minute.
• Ultimately, the death rate is 1:1.

But those raw numbers don’t tell the whole story. Those aggregate numbers hide an alarming spiritual disproportion. More than 2.9 billion people live in “unreached” people groups in some of the hardest-to-reach areas of the world. This means each minute, each hour, each day tens of thousands die without any real access to the message that would save them from hell and save them for God’s love.

As you’ve pondered those numbers, another 105 persons have left time and entered eternity. How many do you suppose went to be with the Lord, and how many were consigned to the pit?

Friends, time is short.

Jesus Says ‘Go’

If you’re reading this article, chances are the gospel has already reached you. You are, after all, reading this on a Christian website.

But the gospel was never intended to stop with you and me. The gospel reached us on the way to others. We’re part of a relay team, made up of Christians spanning time and space all the way back to those 12 who first followed the Lord. We have a part in God’s missionary purpose to make for himself a people out of all the peoples of the earth.

I love the way Ed Stetzer once put it: “It’s not that God’s church has a mission; it’s that God’s mission has a church.” We serve a missionary God, which means we must be a missionary people. And it means we shouldn’t be surprised by our Lord’s parting instruction: “Go make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:19–20).

Go. A simple word with profound implications. A simple strategy addressing the staggering reality of endless judgment. For many people, the yawning mouth of hell is blocked only by the obedient, sacrificial, hopeful, loving, God-glorying work of missionaries.

Hell is real. Time is short. Our King says go.

Let us bear our cross by crossing borders to preach his cross.

Wednesday Worship:

Wednesday Worship:

Wednesday Worship:

Wednesday Worship:

Wednesday Worship:

Pray For The President:

Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1–4, “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” God told the Israelites in exile to pray for Babylon: “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:7). Romans 13:1 says, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” Paul requested prayer “for all the Lord’s people” and for himself that he would speak the gospel boldly (Ephesians 2:18–20).

Prayer is important. And it seems the Bible makes special mention of praying for those in positions of authority. Such authorities include government officials (international, national, and local) and pastors, church elders, school boards, school principals, employers, and the like.

We do not pray for our leaders simply because we are commanded to. Praying for them makes practical sense. Our leaders can affect the conditions we live in and have an impact on our families, our churches, our workplaces, our cities, and our countries. When those in authority are obeying the will of God, it is easier to “live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness” (1 Timothy 2:2). When evil men are in authority, our prayers for them are just as needed, as illustrated by William Tyndale’s last words as he was being burned at the stake: “Lord, open the King of England’s eyes.”

Also, we do not pray for our leaders merely for our own benefit. Leadership can be a tiring task. James 3:1 says, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” Leaders carry a degree of responsibility to their followers. They are often the targets of criticism and the go-to people in a crisis. If they are leading well, they are living their lives in service. We pray for them because we recognize the greatness of their task and because we are grateful for their willingness to lead.

So how should we pray for our leaders? First, if we are uncertain that they know Jesus, we should pray for their salvation. But whether or not our leaders are Christians, we should pray that God will guide them as they guide us. We should pray that they be wise and discerning and surrounded by helpful advisors. We know that God has placed our leaders in authority over us (Romans 13:1), and we can ask Him to use them as He will. We should also pray for their protection. When praying for pastors or ministry leaders, we can pray for them to have strength in the midst of spiritual warfare and to remain encouraged in the Lord. We can pray for their families, who often feel scrutinized and bear an extra load.

Briefly stated, we should mention our leaders before God in prayer and ask Him to have His way in their hearts, to support those around them, and to use their leadership to benefit their followers.

The Real Jesus:

Jesus just isn’t what he used to be.

At least, not among Christians in our country. The identity of Jesus in American Christianity largely depends on who you ask. While many can rattle off orthodox statements heard from the pulpit about who Christ is, the role and personality American evangelicals project onto Jesus is varied. They find bits and pieces about Jesus they like, discard those they dislike, and fashion their own “Jesus.” This Jesus tends to be whichever Christ is safe, convenient, and helpful for the individual’s life in the moment.

Here are four of the most popular versions of Jesus found in American churches.

1. Heirloom Jesus

Heirloom Jesus is doubtless the shallowest and, sadly, most common Jesus found in America. This Jesus was treasured by great-grandma and has been passed down generation by generation, but with increasingly less value. He might bring back great memories of times and persons gone by, but he’s no longer of practical use to the family. Heirloom Jesus is merely kept out of duty—like an old figurine on a dusty shelf.

As a beloved figurine might be considered “part of the family,” so too is this Jesus. Those who’ve inherited him have no problem calling themselves “Christian,” because the name is embedded in the family identity: “To be a [last name] is to be a Christian.” Such folks attend church on Christmas and Easter, ensure their kids receive proper dedications and baptisms, and politely bow their heads before meals at the family reunion.

2. Political Jesus

Political Jesus is used to support arguments that are, well, largely political. Despite being leveraged by every side and faction, the whole picture of him is seldom seen. Like the disciples who followed Jesus in hopes of increased position and glory after his expected military feats (Mark 10:32–45), these Christians ride his coattails for their own advancement in politics and that ultimate court of opinion: Facebook.

This Jesus doesn’t so much represent God as the political beliefs of the individual. Politicians love to use this Jesus on the campaign trail, drawing on his reputation to win a demographic.

Pastors sometimes exploit this Jesus to drum up church attendance, using him to inspire the congregation by bemoaning the nation. Political Jesus supports the party, but not the body.

3. Insurance Agent Jesus

Insurance Agent Jesus can exist in the heart of a true believers, but their spiritual growth is stunted by a need to feel safe. This Jesus is summoned exclusively during crisis. Like a good neighbor, this Jesus is there in the event of serious injury, terminal illness, job loss, divorce, or property loss.

He functions like an insurance agent. When things go wrong, he is just a prayer away. But when things go well, he is, like an insurance agent, largely forgotten. This is not Prosperity Gospel Jesus; Insurance Agent Jesus doesn’t offer prosperity, but reassures safety. Many Christians will gladly announce they can go without a new BMW or lake house. But once the safety net has been removed, the house foreclosed, or the child lost, boasts of faith are shattered as they run to find the Bible left on the car floor from Sunday. They flip through the pages, hoping to find the right words to pray.

Insurance Agent Jesus is worshiped fervently and wholeheartedly—but only for a short time. When the season of trouble has passed, personal devotion goes with it, and the follower of this Jesus falls back into her old religious routine.

4. Therapist Jesus

Therapist Jesus is the most popular—and most handicapping—version of Jesus in the American church. Here one is urged to put trust in Jesus, not due to a need for forgiveness of sin but due to emotional turmoil.

Therapist Jesus lives to make you feel better. He is a homeboy, a friend in the storm. Are you depressed? Does your life feel meaningless? This Jesus is here to soothe.

Now, it is a true and precious promise that Christ will never leave nor forsake his children. Those who follow Therapist Jesus, however, misprioritize these comforting promises and forget that Jesus came first to remove the condemnation of sin. They aren’t concerned with living a holy life, only a happy one. Therapist Jesus provides a shoulder to cry on, not a Savior to believe in. He functions like a motivational bumper sticker.

And Therapist Jesus sells books at high-volume rates.

So many cling to Therapist Jesus. Though patients in need of a surgeon, they prefer a masseur. They need to be cut but want to be coddled. They cling to the other models of Jesus for similar, self-focused reasons.

The Real Jesus

The Jesus of the Bible didn’t come merely to make us feel better. He came to make us better.

But he came first to forgive our sins.

The pain we feel, hurt we endure, and trials we face are all real, and he comforts us amid them all. But they’re symptoms, and a good doctor tells his patients that symptoms are warning signs. It’s foolish, then, to seek a God who medicates the symptoms but dismisses the danger. Better to worship the God who removes the danger first.

On the cross, Christ finished the surgery to remove the tumor of sin from his people. The cuts on his back and punctures in his side provide healing for the sin-afflicted. This is the Jesus we must treasure. This is the Jesus we must obey. He looks at us in love and says, “This is going to hurt, but don’t fear; I’ve borne the pain for you.”

Evangelism In A Post Christian World:

I love evangelism. I love striking up conversations with those who do not know Christ and talking with them about spiritual things. I have been sharing my faith since I was saved at 19 and I have learned a lot. Recently though, I have been noticing a secularization unfolding in the church in America and in our culture. The future is going to take a different approach to evangelism.

Are we, the American church, ready for that future? Here are some insights I've learned over the years and been taught by people who serve in a post-Christian context;

Christians in post Christian cultures feel inadequate to share their faith. Their fears are largely the same as ours: What if I can’t answer their questions? What if I offend? How do I bring up faith naturally?

Most have a faulty view of evangelism. They either memorize a technique to use on everyone (even though Jesus never spoke the same way to two people) or they are friendly but say little about faith, hoping unbelievers will just somehow catch on.

They forget God’s power and focus on their own inadequacies. Deep down, they tend to assume it’s their expertise that ultimately matters, rather than the presence and power of God.
One Simple Truth

Below are three simple steps when sharing your faith:

1. The Model

One doctrine that shapes our understanding of witness is the incarnation. Jesus shows us how to relate to the world. We must be radically engaged and yet radically different. Jesus also displays the skills we need: being respectful and compassionate, listening, asking questions, and sparking curiosity so people want to hear good news. Effective personal witness begins with authentic relationship.

2. The Message

Expressing Christ’s love is foundational, but God also requires us to bear witness to the truth. How do we faithfully proclaim the gospel in an age that denies absolute truth?

We invite people to take a look at Jesus! People who wouldn’t darken the door of a church are often curious about him.

Why is looking at the person of Jesus in the Gospels so effective? Because he is always a surprise. He’s so radical, so controversial, so beautiful, so different from what people expect. We communicate truth through story, asking questions about Jesus as we study.

3. The Means

We can’t proclaim the good news in our own strength. We need the Holy Spirit’s help. Indeed, our lack of dependence on the Spirit is the most glaring deficiency in the modern Western church. Rediscovering the power of prayer, then, will strengthen us for witness like nothing else.

Jesus did not say, “Go therefore . . . all you extroverts, all you with dynamic relational skills, and all you gifted evangelists . . . and make disciples. The rest of you just hang out, sing some hymns until I return.” Rather, Jesus summons all Christians—regardless of personality type or gifting—to go and make disciples. Not everyone is called to be an evangelist, but all of us are called to be his witnesses.

Effective evangelism must be biblically faithful, culturally relevant, spiritually empowered, and relationally effective—not with formulas or techniques, but with authenticity, credibility, and spiritual power.

In conclusion, all human beings hunger for meaning, worth, and wholeness that can only be found in God. Unbelievers don’t know the reason for their longing, but it’s there. Our job is to help one another gain confidence in Christ and competence in evangelism, even with the most unlikely.

October 2016 Parent Newsletter:

For Parents on Go:

THIS Wednesday we will be going to the Dixie Classic Fair. Admission is FREE with donation of 5 cans. We will leave the church at 4:00 pm, enjoy fair food and ride rides. Christian concert at 7:00 pm. We will be back to the church around 10:00 pm

Wednesday, October 26^th 6:00-9:00 pm. Halloween Theme Class at the Fresch’s House. More details forthcoming.

Wednesday, November 9^th: 7:00-8:00 pm. We will be going to Dollar Tree to purchase supplies for our Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes. Please have your son or daughter bring money to purchase supplies to send to a child overseas.

Ridgecrest: November 18-20^th. Cost: $55. Your son or daughter should have already signed up. More information will be coming out at a later date.

Christmas Party: December 3^rd. 6:00-8:00 pm. Cost: FREE. Annual Christmas Party at T and Julia’s House. More information at a later date.

So, for those of you who wonder why people like me work with teenagers, let me give you some answers to the question “why teenagers?”

1. God has a track record of choosing teens to accomplish great spiritual feats.

From Joseph, to Timothy, to Esther (who won a beauty contest then saved a nation), God has used young people in big ways to do even bigger things.

In 1 Samuel 16 when the prophet Samuel goes to the house of Jesse, it's not the strapping, strutting older brothers of the house that God chooses to be king. It's the underage runt of the litter that got annointed as the future leader of Israel. One chapter later, this kid named David, who was delivering cheese and crackers to his older brothers in the war, got ticked off that a nine foot giant was talking smack against the God of Israel. His anger left an impression on Goliath…a deep one.

But its not just in the Old Testament that God demonstrates his predisposition to choose and use teenagers. For the most part Jesus mostly picked teenagers to be his disciples. In Matthew 17, when Jesus, Peter and the disciples go into Capernaum, only Peter and Jesus pay the temple tax (although all of the disciples are there!) According to Exodus 30:14 the temple tax was only applicaple to those twenty years old and older. If I’m reading that right, that means that Jesus was a youth leader with only one adult sponsor…and one really rotten kid.

And God used this "youth group" to reach the world! He can use yours to do the same!

2. God receives glory when the “foolish things of the world” confound the wise.

1 Corinthains 1:26-29 makes this crystal clear, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.”

If this passage is not a case for working with teenagers I don’t know what is. Teenagers are foolish, goofy and hyper. I love it! God loves it! He wants to use them as twitchy revolutionaries to change the course of nations and to launch a global awakening of Biblical proportions just like his Son did 2,000 years ago!

3. It just makes sense.

Teenagers are wet cement. They form to the forms layed out for them. While working with adults is definitely important, sometimes a jackhammer and wheelbarrow is required before the wet cement can be poured in their souls.

Jonathan Edwards, perhaps the most intelligent scholar/preacher of the 1st Great Awakening, recorded that the “revival has been chiefly amongst the young….” Teenagers led the way for awakening in this powerful 18th Century revival. As a matter of fact, teenagers have been on the leading edge of every major spiritual awakening in the history of the United States.

Teenagers are idealists, visionaries and unrealistic. This lack of realism allows them to see visions and have dreams that those of us who have been worn down by the realities of life may no longer see. Adults tend to use microscopes while teenagers have a penchant for telescopes. We tend to get worn down by life and they tend to get fired up by causes. We wonder how much money it will take and they just don’t care.

An old French proverb goes, "The most dangerous swordsman in France is the one who has never wielded a sword." Why are they dangers? They don't know the rules so they just hack away and break the rules of engagement until they win.

Teenagers don't know the rules of engagement which can help them win souls. They can break the foolish patters of their forefathers which, for the most part, has kept the Gospel locked within the four walls of the church sanctuary.

They don’t know that they can’t reach the world for Christ just by spreading the gospel so they are willing to do it. They don’t know that they can’t reach their school for Christ without market research so they just reach it.

The average teenager has 425 online and face-to-face friends. They can use their social media clout to spark Gospel conversations in ways we could never imagine as adults.

Hitler hijacked teen culture and used it to advance the Nazi agenda. Communists harnessed and unleashed the idealism of teenagers to spread the message of communism. For years radical Muslims have recruited young people to spread a message of hate and, in far too many cases, trigger acts of terrorism around the globe.

If evil people and evil philosophies can mobilize young people for their causes then why can’t the Bride of Christ unleash young people to spread the gospel for the best cause ever, the spread of the gospel across the planet?

Teenagers are the most underutiziled, underestimated and underchallenged group of people in the church. As a result, our churches are dying.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto was asked about how he felt. His answer was stark, “I am fearful that all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with terrible resolve.”

It is time to awaken the sleeping giant in the church called teenages and fill them with holy resolve.

No matter if you're a lead pastor, a youth leader or a volunteer, never underestimate the power of teenagers to change the world for Christ and transform this culture!

Reaching, Teaching & Releasing,

Pastor T Welch