"The youth minister, trying to think about what's wrong with youth ministry, is a classic case of the fox guarding the hen house. The fox is not going to say, 'I need to not be here.' The fox is going to try to figure out how he can devour fewer hens so that you'll be happy with him for awhile. Youth ministers are not going to say, 'Parents need to be doing what we're doing. We need to not have this job.' They're going to try to preserve the institution. Now, does that mean that they're evil, and that they're scheming, and conniving? No, but they wouldn't be there if they didn't believe, fundamentally, that it was their job to do what they're doing. And that it was essential, and that they were the answer. They wouldn't be there if they didn't believe that. So they're going to give you those answers. But it's ironic that what the youth minister says is, 'If we're going to reach these kids, number one, we need to know them better.' Well guess what? Parents know them better. 'Number two, we need to have a relational ministry where we're involved in their lives.' Guess what? God's designed a relational ministry to be involved in their lives; it's called their parents. 'Number three, we need to be more consistent in our teaching.' Guess what? God's given them a place where they wake up every morning where they can have consistent teaching. Everything that youth ministers say is the answer already exists in the home. But what they will not say is, 'The home is where the answer lies.' They can't, because the moment they say that, they admit that they shouldn't be in their position."
—Voddie Baucham
I absolutely agree that the parents are supposed to be doing this job that we often send our children to youth ministries for them to do instead.
ReplyDeleteYes, and youth ministries can have a very bad influence as well in many cases.
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