Marko recently shared some notes from a summit for junior high youth pastors led by sociologist Christian Smith. I found the following quote interesting.
• If you could change one thing about youth ministry, what would it be?
CS: If I could change one thing about youth ministers is I would have YM stop calling teens “students”, because that relates teens to what they know about school. In Youth Group they should be seen as whole people who have a life outside of academic success. To call them students narrows them down to their scholastic identity. Church should be an institution that sees them as all that they are. There are a lot of kids that have dropped out of school and therefore lost there identity in Church as well! Our Public language should be Teens or Youth. If someone’s job is to legitimately work with youth in school then they are student ministers, outside of that, why would they be titled that? I don’t care what they want to be called, they shouldn’t be called students, it is collaborating with the motto of don’t fail, and they don’t need that from the church.
For some reason, it always feels awkard no matter which collective noun I used to refer to my youth group. “Students” seems to remove any age-related conceptions, but I think Smith has a point. How do you refer to your teens/youth/students?
That’s an interesting point. I try not to be too picky about some words (verbal legalism, in my view), but I think he has a larger point. Voddie Baucham and others have pushed for a more wholistic, family oriented idea of ministry that seems to strike a similar chord (though he’s opposed to “youth ministers” too).
I wonder if the trendy change from “youth” to “students” might also be based on an attempt to play down the “youthiness” of teenagers and treat them indendently and more mature than they really are (I think there’s a way to use ‘immaturity’ as a fact and not a derogatory term). But in reality, they are young & inexperienced. Youth is a true season in life and should be acknowledged with its associated struggles and problems.
Interesting comment from CS. Coming from the UK, I’ve always found your use of the term ’students’ a bit, well academic. In the UK and Europe youth groups tend to be populated by ‘young people’ not students. And young people can ’study’ the Word too. I agree with James’ comment ‘youth is a true season in life and should be acknowledged with its associated struggles and problems.’ Thanks for the invitation to comment.
I tend to agree with Smith, although I’m pretty horrible about saying “students” for some of the reasons James mentions above (aside from the face that it’s just an “in” term that I’ve used so much it is hard to stop). I’ve been trying to quit, and I do think it does communicate something about out ministries when we say “students.”
I’m helping with a group of high school seniors who are planning their baccalaureate service, and someone made the point, “We shouldn’t talk during the service as if everyone is going to college. We all might be, but a lot of people in that room won’t be.” I thought it was a very mature and insightful comment to make.
hey cory! you have a blog too! cool! love it!
i always call my youth “youth” or “teens” or “students” (as mike always calls them)…..but i am always careful NOT to call them “kids”….that feels insulting of their young adult status, disrespectful of their growth out of childhood, discounting their every-growing ability to make wise decisions. thanks for bringing up that point of discussion!