Youth Pastor, who's legal name really is Youth Pastor, insists in an exclusive interview how moving on from youth ministry has always been what he intended to do.
"I always had my sights set on something higher," explains Youth Pastor. "Am I great at youth ministry? Yeah. Maybe even the best ever. But youth ministry is never meant to be a final destination for a pastor. It's kind of like the minor leagues. The best youth pastors eventually move on to the Big Leagues."
(A note on Youth Pastor's name: A search of public records failed to turn up conclusive evidence of his given name, although it has long been rumored to be Marion Archibald Templeton IV, a name that resulted in much ridicule for him in junior high.)
Though very candid about his reasons for moving on, Youth Pastor remains tight-lipped about future plans. He admits that several churches and publishing houses have expressed interest in landing him as a free agent, but he declined to discuss the specifics of those offers, or whether he had received anything in writing. Calls to the office of Scott Boras, his agent, were not returned.
"I'm just kind of biding my time, enjoying the moment, you know?" says Youth Pastor. "I've been blessed to have such a great career, getting to serve side-by-side with God in reaching so many amazing teenagers. But it takes its toll, and there are things that I've always wanted to do, but haven't had time to. It's going to be nice to be able to catch up on lost time."
Youth Pastor's career wasn't without a certain amount of controversy. While the stipulations of a legal settlement prevented Youth Pastor from talking about the incident during the interview, many detractors point to the Great Lock-In Fiasco of 2011 as the beginning of the end of Youth Pastor's youth ministry career. In addition, Youth Pastor's unusual tactics often drew criticism from fellow youth workers and teenagers alike. One recent response to his "Dear Youth Pastor" advice column exclaims, "I am appalled at this!! What is the point of youth ministry if you are just going to keep them entertained and not teach them anything?"
Discipleship Family Ministry, the organization that has published Youth Pastor's advice column for the past few years, declined to be interviewed for this piece. Benjer McVeigh, the blog's spokesperson, instead pointed us to the organization's official statement on Youth Pastor's retirement, which states in part, "We respect Youth Pastor's decision to move on from youth ministry and will respect his request for privacy during his transition. Youth Pastor's letters will still be accessible as archives on our website for the foreseeable future."
When asked if he has any regrets, Youth Pastor responds after a thoughtful sigh: "No. No regrets. It's been a good ride. I just wish I had allowed myself to enjoy it a little more. When you're the best at what you do, sometimes the intensity required to stay on top keeps you from having fun with it all. But it has been a good ride, there's no question about that."
The Associated Press did not contribute one bit to this news report and should not be blamed for any of the inaccuracies that litter this news release. If--even after reading it a second time--you have no idea what this news release is talking about, see this post here.
