Drawn up by Mark Tittley, after consultation with youth workers, youth pastors and youth specialists, during September and October 1997.
At the Baptist Theological College in Johannesburg, South Africa, we have been challenged to ensure that the programme we are offering is relevant. We have decided to identify the profile of the people we are seeking to train, namely: senior pastors, youth pastors and missionaries. Once we have drawn up the profile we will create training goals in order to ensure that our curriculum produces the kind of people we are supposed to be sending out into ministry within local churches.
This exercise is an attempt at identifying the profile of a equipped youth pastor. The various roles that the youth pastor fulfils are listed and then the character, knowledge and skills required for each role are identified. The profile is a detailed description of what a youth pastor must be (character); what they must know (knowledge) and what they must do (skills).
In determining the profile, eight aspects of the youth pastor’s role are explored: minister, leader, specialist, evangelist, worker, discipler, counsellor and presenter.
Before each aspects is explored a few overriding principles must be stressed: (1) the youth pastor must be a disciple of Christ who cultivates a disciplined devotional life; practises spiritual disciplines, takes advantage of corporate contexts in which spiritual growth is fostered, and discovers and develop their spiritual gifts. (2) The youth pastors must be called of God to work among young people and should see this calling as life-long, until the Lord leads them into a different ministry. (3) The young pastor should be dependent on God though prayer for effectiveness and success in ministry. (4) The youth pastor should be a student of theology as it is only as they grow in their understanding of God that they will be effective in leading people to Him.
1. Youth Minister
The youth pastor as a youth minister is responsible to be a servant who shepherds young people by their love and godly example.
Character:
A. Humble
B. Caring
C. Loving
D. Godly
E. Accountable
F. Sense of need - a team player - vulnerable
G. Teachable - committed to life-long learning, admit mistakes, handle criticism positively
H. Accessible to youth
I. Loyal to God, self, church, parents and youth
J. Positive mental attitude - courage
K. Balancing priorities
L. Initiative - self starter
M. Endurance
Knowledge:
A. Jesus ministry as the example for ministry
B. Values of Christian ministry
C. Power of example
D. Value of accountability structures
E. Need for support from others
F. Value of ongoing education
Skills:
A. Develop spirituality and godliness
B. Set an example to be followed
C. Serve people
D. Develop accountability structures
E. Develop a personal support system
F. Involvement in ongoing education
H. Balance being an adult and a friend to youth
2. Youth Leader
The youth pastor as a youth leader is responsible for being the kind of leader who can effectively oversee ministry in the local church. These are various aspects to this leadership: (a) personal: vision, excellence, time management, stress management; (b) ministry: plan, organise, direct, supervise; and (c) relational: conflict management, change management, marketing. See a table of the items under this role to see how character, knowledge and skills are related to each other.
Character:
A. Purpose-driven
B. Pursue excellence
C. Proactive and disciplined
D. Balance of work and rest
E. Orientated towards the future
F. Organised
G. Leader and follower
H. People developer
I. Open to change
J. Committed to peace
K. Positive and communicating
L. Worshipper
M. Relational
Knowledge:
A. Create vision for life and ministry
B. Importance of excellence in ministry
C. Time management
D. Reality and effects of stress
E. Importance and practise of planning
F. Organisation of youth ministry - structure, delegation, budgeting
G. Leadership styles, motivation, communication, equipping, problem solving, decision making
H. Importance and practise of supervision
I. Effects and process of change
J. Conflict management
K. Marketing process
L. Understanding worship
M. Life change in small groups
Skills:
A. Develop a personal mission statement
B. Write a life plan to achieve excellence
C. Use a weekly time management planner
D. Ways to order ministry
E. Using an action plan
F. Creating relational organisational structures - lead meetings, budgeting, delegating
G. How to lead, motivate, communicate, equip, solve problems and make decisions
H. Supervise people for ministry
I. Coping with change, preparing a group for change
J. Conflict resolution
K. Promote ministry and events
L. Leading worship
M. Leading small groups
3. Youth Specialist
The youth pastor as a youth specialist must understand youth development and youth culture in such a way that they are effectively able to minister among young people.
Character:
A. Secure in own personality development
B. Secure in own culture
C. Open to learn from youth
D. Positive about family
E. Incarnational
Knowledge:
A. Personality development - characteristics and developmental tasks
B. Culture and sub-cultures
C. Trends in society
D. Dynamics of cross-cultural ministry
E. Family ministry
F. Incarnation as a model for ministry
Skills:
A. Age-appropriate ministry
B. Identify trends in society
C. Ministry among youth sub-cultures
D. Ability to cross cultures
E. Minister to parents and families
F. Involvement in the life of the community
G. Ministering incarnationally in youth culture
4. Youth Evangelist
The youth pastor as a youth evangelist must be able to lead young people to Christ through the local church and youth group.
Character:
A. Attractive, Christlike nature
B. Passion for evangelising the lost
C. Life-style evangelism
Knowledge:
A. Understand youth: non-Christian, unchurched, seekers, etc.
B. Know and understand the Gospel
C. Evangelise youth in the youth group
D. Involve Christian youth in evangelism
Skills:
A. Lead youth to Christ through personal evangelism
B. Discover strategies for reaching lost youth
C. Motivate and train Christian youth to evangelise
D. Teach methods of presenting the gospel
E. Involve Christian youth in service projects and mission trips
5. Youth Worker
The youth pastor as a youth worker is responsible for working among young people who are outside the local church context. They should be skilled in working outside-in with youth in the community who will not enter the church. This role also involves caring for the social dimensions of the life of youth by addressing their concerns and intervening in their lives where necessary.
Character:
A. Trustworthy - keeping confidences
B. Love and care for youth
C. Respectability
Knowledge:
A. World view of unchurched youth
B. Dynamics of life in society and the family
C. Ways to develop leadership qualities in youth
D. The gospel and culture
E. Ministry in schools, malls, homes, sports fields, etc.
Skills:
A. Nurture healthy relationships between youth and adults
B. Help youth deal with problems
C. Develop leadership skills in young people
D. Support and educate parents
E. Help youth develop social skills
F. Creative hanging with unchurched youth
G. Express the gospel in youth culture
H. Ability to minister in schools, malls, homes, etc.
6. Youth Discipler
The youth pastor as a youth discipler is responsible to establish new converts in the faith and grow Christian youth to maturity.
Character:
A. Passion for discipling others
B. Personal spiritual growth
C. Involvement in mentoring relationships
Knowledge:
A. Understand discipleship
B. Faith and commitment development
C. Contexts that facilitate spiritual growth
Skills:
A. Identify commitment levels in youth
B. Ways to increase commitment in youth
C. Develop youth for leadership
D. Involve youth in ministry
E. Lead a small group
F. Develop a cell ministry
G. Integrate youth into the life of the church
7. Youth Counsellor
The youth pastor as a youth counsellor is responsible to help young people help themselves reach maturity, experience healing or move through crises or personal problems.
Character:
A. Warm and Caring
B. Positive view of self - aware of strengths and weaknesses
C. Biblical and positive handling of personal problems.
D. Open to personal growth
E. Positive view of people - believe in their ability to change
F. Genuine interest in people
Knowledge:
A. Principles and practises of Christian counselling
B. Hazards and limits in counselling
C. Models for counselling
D. Techniques for the counselling process
E. Crisis situations youth face
F. Defense mechanisms youth use
G. Issues youth face
H. Knowing when to refer youth for professional help
Skills:
A. Respond to youth with warmth and concern
B. Set guards against dangers in counselling
C. Work with a personalised model for counselling
D. Use skills for the counselling process
E. Intervention strategies for crises
F. Deal with defense mechanisms
G. Counsel youth through issues they face
H. Practising referral when necessary
8. Youth Presenter
The youth pastor as a youth presenter is responsible to communicate Christian truth to youth in various contexts such as Bible studies; messages; devotions; programmes; etc.
Character:
A. Relational
B. Integrity
C. Confidence
Knowledge:
A. Programming for different age groups; commitment levels
B. Principles of effective programming
C. Structure and methods of programming
D. Christian education
E. Communication theory
F. Commitment level programming
G. Youth group management - discipline, building unity
Skills:
A. Communicate truth to youth
B. Evaluate presentations and programmes
C. Presentation techniques
D. Handle audience behaviour
E. Building unity in a youth group
Note to part-time youth workers:
It should be mentioned that the profile relates to a full-time youth pastor position within a local church. The lay youth leader that I work with at Windsor Fellowship gave me a call just after I had posted this page on the web and said: “I am resigning!” When I asked for his reason, he said it was because he could not do everything on this list. There is no way that a part-time youthworker could handle everything involved here, but as we chatted we realised that there was not much here that he was not, to some extent at least, involved in as a part-time youth leader. In case you are wondering, my youth leader is not resigning. He is feeling challenged to grow in all three areas: in character, in knowledge and in skills.
Note about character:
When we speak of character we are referring to characteristics, fruit or values and not personality. We are not trying to change the personality of the people we are training for full-time youth ministry, nor are we trying to churn out robots who all look and think alike. However, we do want to develop the kinds of values that will make them effective in ministry. None of us would say that in terms of the Biblical qualities for character we have arrived - but we are, or should be, striving to grow in each area.
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