where in the Bible is the idea of a budget?
where in the Bible is the idea of associate ministry staff?
where in the Bible is the idea of a worship leader?
where in the Bible is the idea of Sunday school?
where in the Bible is the idea of Sunday night worship?
where in the Bible is the idea of indoor plumbing?
where in the Bible is the idea of a preschool department?
First off, that's a good point - except for the plumbing!:laugh: I think we all know why we use it! However, I will say that simply because pagans invented things like chairs (Egypt) or carpets (India) does not mean that using them is "wrong".
But things like the other questions above AND the initial question about youth ministry are different because they can have an effect on the spritiual growth God intended for His church. (Although some may say that indoor plumbing would have this effect- however, I'm not talking about growth in numbers, just internal spiritual growth.:thumbs: )
Here's an answer for you:
Just as you asked -
Is then youth ministry strange fire on the altar of God? Does it do more harm than good in ministering to the family of God?
- I can see how much this issue concerns you about the spiritual growth of the church.
Where did the youth pastor come from?
The youth pastor appeared in the twentieth century to cater to the needs of society. The concept of "adolescent" as being distinct from young adult and older child was popularized by G. Stanley Hall in 1905.{1} In the 1940s, the term teenager was created.
With the new idea of the "teenager" having emerged, a need for someone to work with them was created. So you see the "youth pastor" starting to appear in large urban churches in the 1930s and 40s. {2} However, these early youth directors mainly worked with para-church organizations that did youth rallies and the such. But by the early 50s, the Christian church had segregated teens from everyone else and thousands of professional youth ministers were employed.
"By the end of the 1980s, the youth ministry's shift from the parachurch organizations to institutional churches was pretty well complete."{3}
So there you go! That's where the Youth Minister came from. I would honestly like to even answer the question where all the others came from - because it isn't from the Bible - but it would make this an incredibly LOOONG post! Perhaps I will later...
We have the "office of youth ministry" to meet the needs of the structure of the organized church in today's society. We have him because of the needs of the institution.
But you are correct that parents are supposed to be the ones to train up their child - esp. the father! "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise
That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." {4} But like I said, the institution created the youth pastor to meet up with modern society.
Hope this gives you some form of enlightenment!
- Dave
{1} Mark Senter III, The Coming Revolution in Youth Ministry, 1987, p. 66.
{2} Ibid., p142.
{3} Frank Viola; George Barna, Pagan Christianity?, 2008, p.215
{4} Ephesians 6:1-4 (KJV)
