There Are No Youth Pastors - Don't Put Division Among God's Elders
This way of thinking and approach to Christ’s Church is not only unbiblical but also very destructive to the body and to the Elders/Pastors who are forced to fill these roles.
There are none of the following in Scripture.
Youth Pastors
Executive Pastors
Pastor Of Care (Whatever that one means?)
Pastor Of Administration
Pastor Of Preaching
Women Pastors
Children’s Pastor
Music Pastor
Senior Pastor
Associate Pastor To Families
Student Pastor
Associate Pastor of Worship, Children & Youth (Wow! Just… wow!)
Pastor Of Technology
Pastor Of Global Missions
Associate Pastor
Associate Pastor Of Worship And Family Ministry
Ok…
I think you get the point. Now, let’s discuss why.
My whole life, it has been my experience, and my observation that, for example, when a man is titled a “Youth Pastor,” many just assume that is all he does. Further, many see him as not a “Full Pastor” or even a “Real Pastor.” He is more of a glorified babysitter for children and teens.
What is even worse is when you view “Job Descriptions” online for these sorts of positions, they may even actually state, “Youth Pastor answers to Senior Pastor.” Or, even worse, “Youth Pastor answers directly to the Deacons.” (Wow! I just got a heretical shiver down my spine just typing that!)
This sort of unbiblical thinking is part and parcel with the world’s thinking. This is why it is so dangerous. The world looks at titles and positions as a hierarchy. Certain individuals hold positions of power over other individuals. We section things and categorize people into lovely little slots we can slide them into and expect them to never attempt something outside of what we have determined for them.
This way of thinking and approach to Christ’s Church is not only unbiblical but also very destructive to the body and to the Elders/Pastors who are forced to fill these roles, restricted from living out their full calling by the labels and limits we place on them.
As is the case with all God-Centered Theology, if we let the Scripture speak and speak consistently, we find a more appropriate and God-Honoring way of doing things.
1 It is a trustworthy saying: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a good work. 2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but considerate, peaceable, free from the love of money; 4 leading his own household well, having his children in submission with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to lead his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. (1 Timothy 3:1-7 LSB)
Notice that in the primary passage where the office of Pastor is identified, we see no text separating Pastors into categories or divisions. The qualifications are for Elders. The qualifications are for Overseers. (Note that congregationalism loves to ignore this and put itself as the overseers. That is a story for another day.)
It notes the “office of overseer,” meaning that each man who aspires (reach out after, reach for, move towards) to be an overseer is to be inspected and found qualified for the office or not based on his own life and calling. If Scripture intended to have so many different forms of Pastors, then Scripture would and should have addressed it.
If Scripture were consistent with the modern church’s way of conducting business, it would have said something like the following…
If any man or woman aspires to be a Pastor, then…
If anyone desires to be a Youth Pastor, then…
If anyone desires to be an Executive Pastor, then…
If anyone desires to be a Student Pastor, then…
Further, in terms of the labels we put on things, it would say something to the effect of “Now, if you, as a Pastor, desire to become a Senior Pastor and move up the ranks, then…
Scripture knows nothing of this categorical nonsense. There are two offices in the church. That of Pastor/Elder and that of Deacon. Here are some other things to keep in mind that we find in Scripture:
Scripture teaches oversight by a plurality of biblically qualified Elders who are men. We see this in Titus, 1 Timothy 3, the book of Acts, and more. When Scripture addresses the Elders, it is plural.
Now, a church is not “sinning” by having only one qualified Elder available to it. However, a church should never limit itself to only one Elder if more are available. Part of the reason we see the unbiblical “single Pastor model” in so many churches is because of how we have turned our churches into American businesses and places that emulate American politics far more than Scripture. In American politics, the people elect a representative to do what they want to see done. This is not the case in a biblical church. However, that is what it has turned into, and not people mistakenly think they “elect” a Pastor to do their bidding.
The purpose of a plurality of Elders is beautiful. Every qualified Elder is equally a biblical Elder. There are no ranks or divisions among them. However, we do see that each Elder will bring a unique background, gifts, talents, and abilities to the role. This means that one area where one Elder is weak, another may be strong in order to balance the team out.
While all Elders are required to be able to teach, this does not mean all Elders have to teach equally in terms of quantity or even quality. Yes, some Pastors/Elders will teach better than others. I have encountered several Elders who teach far better than I do. Granted, all Elders should be teaching, but not all Elders will teach as often or on the same level.
Having a plurality of Elders shares the burden of leadership. God never expected the congregation to conduct oversight, and He certainly never expected one Elder to do it by himself. Shared leadership among Elders is the model. Also, as a church grows, and Elders delegate areas of leadership to individuals or teams, those teams need to share leadership as well. This keeps Christians from burnout and taking on too much for one person.
All Elders have the same authority in their oversight. This is why it is important to verify the qualifications before placing one in the role. This is especially concerning when placing a younger man into the role. The younger the man is, the more likely he is to lack the life experience that other older Elders possess. This is why the qualifications mention that an Elder should not be a new Christian. There is a lot to learn and demonstrate before being inserted into the office.
There is more to be said at a later date. However, this presents the basic biblical pattern for Elders. Now, what about the various tasks, assignments, or areas that Elders may help oversee? I can hear it now…
What about the Youth?
What about paying all of them?
What about this or that?
While there are no Youth Pastors, for example, there may and can be a biblically qualified Elder who has a specialization in leading and overseeing ministry for younger people. This would not prevent or exclude him from Pastoring and overseeing Christians who are not in that category, and it certainly would not make him less of an Elder, but it may be an area in which he is especially gifted. There is nothing wrong with this.
If you feel like I am splitting hairs, I am, to a degree. Just refer to what I said above about how the church has already grown to see these various “titles” as divisions among Elders. That is what needs to change.
There may also be situations where you have Elders who are not paid but have another job or are retired. Then, you may have 1 Elder who spends the bulk of his time in the church working and therefore would need to be compensated for that time since it is not spent out in the world providing for his family by other means.
Associating each Elder with a certain area of oversight distributes leadership responsibilities without placing too much on one man, leading to ministry burnout. So, ultimately, what we have here is the need to treat Elders how Scripture sees them: as equals.
We need to refrain from placing titles on Elders beyond what Scripture gives them. However, within a local body, it would be perfectly acceptable to identify and assign certain Elders to particular areas as long as each Elder is equal in their standing and is not limited to just those areas.
Thus, to avoid all the confusion that our current situation brings us, a church could have the following as an example:
Pastor Bob - Oversees Worship Services
Pastor Tim - Primary Worship Service Preacher
Pastor George - Oversees Youth and Children
Pastor Joe - Oversees Technology
Now, keep in mind that Pastor Joe has every right to assist and provide input in other areas that are not technology-related. It is just that his primary attention will be on the technology. The same is true for the rest of the Pastors outlined above. This will look slightly different in every church, with some overlap.
I wish there was a way to echo this louder - I wish this article was taught when I was in Bible college. I remember being a children’s pastor and someone asked me: “So when are you going to become a real pastor?” - it felt so demeaning.
Fire!