Simple Church Minute 31--youth pastor

31—youth pastor                               

My name is Tom; this is Simple Church Minute

            Where did the idea of youth pastors come from?  On other days, I’ve discussed that, in the early church, believers all held the responsibility for edifying each other, and edify is like teaching one’s spirit.  At that time, apostles went to a city or town, taught about Jesus, some came to believe on Him, a gathering or church was established, and the apostle moved on.  Over the centuries, the church sometimes imposed the world’s ideas on itself, and at other times, others imposed ideas on the church.  One of those ideas was the formal, and sometimes governmentally supported leader, at times known as bishop, priest, minister, preacher, or pastor.  The 1800’s in the U.S., saw the frontier evangelist, and the beginning or radio stations saw the evangelist, pastor, or teacher begin to use that medium.        

            In the world, the 1940’s was the term teenager develop—a person somewhere between a child and an adult, fitting the English language’s  structure of the numbers 13 through 19 ending with the suffix –teen.  In the 1930’s and 40’s, special Christian rallies were developed, sometimes by large churches with the idea of speaking specifically to that group.  From there came the idea that large churches in urban areas needed and could financially afford a specialist.  It also made a transition position for young bible school or seminary graduates from studies to a more senior position.  Later came other specialist pastors.

            Plato and Socrates taught that knowledge is virtue, which brings about moral character.  Our educational system, particularly the public college system, stands as evidence of the exact opposite.  A centuries old clergy question is, “How do we prepare the laity?”  The New Testament teaches that all believers teach each other.

            You can email me at simplechurchminute@gmail.com.  For more info on organic church*, visit  http://www.simplechurch.com/ or locally at (local website)

On the recording, at this time, it says, “house churches.”  While that phrasing is OK, to say “organic church” is better.  I comment on that in blip 94.

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