I turned this job down when it was first offered to me. I was reminded of this turn of events, when a parent of a Fish Clubber pointed this out in a lovely thank you note. Two years ago, I was both drawn to the idea of connecting and mentoring younger people and frankly frightened by my limitations. I don’t play guitar. I am not a twenty-five year old. I don’t wear skinny jeans. Ok, maybe that last part isn’t true. But Christian pop-culture seemingly has a specific idea as to who should pastor our young people and frankly I don’t have that sort of aesthetic. In the last two years since those initial fears, I now realize how ridiculous those insecurities were. As if an “aesthetic” was something our youth even need from the church.
If there is anything I have come to learn regarding our younger church members these past two years it is how much depth they have and how easily they smell in-authenticity when they confront it. Our teens think. Our teens care. Our teens ask honest questions. Our teens laugh hard and engage the world even harder. From us their church, our teens need less guitar skills and more spaces where they are affirmed to be themselves, as they intelligently engage and question the world around us. What a gift it has been to be a part of a church that has understood this, even before I did. Hope Church, you are a gift to these young people. I encourage you to seek out ways to connect with them. Ask them about their summer plans in the gathering area. Invite them to babysit your kids. Ask a couple of them to coffee. Even consider volunteering your time as a youth sponsor this coming fall! No skinny jeans required.
~Beth Carroll, Pastoral Resident for Youth and Young Adult Ministry