When I talk about the specialization of youth ministry, what I mean is the phenomenon of large numbers of institutions and companies catering to youth ministry: there are accredited youth ministry degrees (my M.Div. had an emphasis in youth ministry), youth ministry publishing houses, as well as numerous conferences (regional, national, and international). In addition, in the American church it is considered necessity to employ a youth pastor if one can at all be afforded.Here are my three biggest "pros":
Teenagers are unique. Whether it's a good thing or not, the fact is that adolescence (which many experts now describe as a time period that begins before middle school and lasts far beyond high school) is a distinct time period in a person's life. Middle school and high school students are becoming adults yet are still children in many ways. Just as a missionary needs to know as much as possible about the culture he or she is serving, youth pastors and youth ministries need to spend time learning about and being with teenagers to effectively communicate the truth of Jesus' love to them and help them grow in their faith. Focusing on teenagers as a mission field helps us reach more teenagers. That's a very good thing.
Youth workers have access to really good resources and theological education that have an emphasis on youth ministry. Wayne Rice and Mike Yaconelli founded Youth Specialties because there were no (or very few) publications on youth ministry resources around. Today, youth workers have access to some really good youth ministry books and journals, as well as a number of undergraduate and graduate youth ministry programs at theological schools. Just like with any other subject, we have to be discerning in terms of what we use and what we spend our time reading, but I'm thankful that if I'm looking for a good book on a certain topic related to youth ministry (such as crisis counseling), I can usually have it on my desk just a couple of days.
The specialization of youth ministry has allowed many youth workers to spend more time loving teenagers. Translation: It's possible for some people to actually be paid to lead youth ministries in their churches or in other contexts. I was hesitant to put this on the "pros" side of the ledger (even though I'm a paid youth pastor and am very thankful for that) because one negative result is that too often youth pastors are seen as the "professionals" that do all the work. But in a healthy context, a paid youth worker doesn't just spend all of his or her time with teenagers. Rather, a youth pastor also be casting vision, providing leadership in the Church as a shepherd-pastor, and equipping adults (see Ephesians 4:11-13) to love and minister to teenagers. When this works the way it's supposed to, the result is a vibrant youth ministry.
QUESTION: What would you add to this list of "pros"?
Update: You can view the introduction to this series here and the list of "cons" here.
