Jesus's family role models....

To minister means to serve.

that is the job of every Christian. We are to follow Christ, and He came as a servant.

 

Elders as your papa must be defining it would most likely be who many of us would call the pastors.

What do you mean by "evangelism is prooted for young people"?

Personally, I think too many people in American churches want to sit back and have the pastor/elders do ALL the jobs of ministering. They don't go out knocking on doors in order to invite people to trust Christ because they figure "thats the pastor's job." They don't worry too much about getting to know visitors, because "thats the job of the leadership."

Ministry opportunities for younger ages would depend on what sorts of ministries the individual churches are offering. We have our teenagers minister as teacher's helpers in Sunday School classes, and some of the older ones teach their own class of very young kids during our Saturday Bible club time. Our teens also help with the bus ministry. They go out each week and witness to people, too.
Ministering is also singing and/or playing an instrument (can be done by almost any age), working in the nursery, etc.

There is a broader scope to the word "ministry" as well, in that we often refer to any work done to help the church body as a form of ministering. The PA system, the janitorial jobs, secretary duties....all these things need to be done to keep things running decently and in order.

Im not sure if this post answers what you were getting at, but basically the Christian's duty towards his church ought to be that he is willing to do any of those jobs which need to be taken care of.

 

I figured it was something simple like a missing letter, I just couldn't quite figure out which it was. Thanks for clearing it up for me.

I think youth OUGHT to be doing some ministries that might make them a bit uncomfortable. Going to hospitals and nursing homes is an excellent way to get kids interested in ministering to those outside of their own social circles. If we only let them do ministries which are within their comfort zone while they are young, than what makes us think that will change when they are older? Its this mentality that I think contributes to so many grown-ups being unwilling to do any kinds of ministry that is outside what they are used to.

I don't know what you mean by "get control of" those sorts of ministries, unless you mean you think it will be beyond what they are emotionally able to handle? That very well can be true of some kids, but I think for the most part we underestimate what our kids can handle in a ministry capacity. If we were to send them to hospitals or nursing homes just to say "Hi", then yes perhaps they should be older. But we send them with the message of hope, the Gospel, and when the kids have an opportunity to help people who are worse off than themselves, than they grow through it in a very good way. BTW, Im not talking about sending kids to places like this on their own. Im talking about it being within a larger group including adults from their church.

An example in my own family is my 11 year old daughter. She's been going to nursing homes with our church for a couple years now, and its been nothing but good for her. She's also been working in the bus ministry for about that long....seeing lots and lots of underprivileged kids, and homes very different from her own, in a capacity of helping them learn about Jesus. She doesn't have any more "illusions" of what the world might have to offer her. In a small way, she already has seen the end of what the "world" has to offer. But its always in the context of being able to offer something better....the Gospel.

Id rather not see what so many youth groups have become....just social clubs for kids. Then we wonder why so many churches end up being treated as social clubs for adults. Thats what we've trained our teenagers to expect, why do we think that those same teens will grow up to think any differently about their church when they are adults?

 

Oh,

and isnt the main job of an elder to be a deacon and/or teacher? I would have thought that was part of the definition of their job anyway.

Other people ought to be able to hold teaching positions as well, but elders ought to have a large role in the teaching ministries of the church.

 

Could you be more specific? What people? What ministries?

I've never met an evangelist that targeted only one age grouping ... have you?

It's safe to say that if a person was saved at a young age and stuck with the Lord through thick and thin, he is a more seasoned believer by age 45 than the 58 year old that turned his life over to the Lord last year. An elder is a seasoned believer, but not necessarily a senior citizen. Hope this helps ...

 

Read I Timothy 3 for clarification.

 

Children are children, Uncharted. Of course they should not be appointed deacons.