Who to Recruit - Part 1 - The Young

It's strange the way certain ministry myths can crawl into your ministry out of nowhere. On multiple occasions over the last two weeks parents of my students have made statements to me indicating they believe I don't want older adults showing up or volunteering for the student ministry. This is particularly amusing to me because I've asked MY OWN MOTHER to come to our primary high school gathering to chaperone, and one of the men I asked to volunteer when we started is nearly twice my age.

I'm not sure how the the myth that all youth workers must be under age 35 snuck into my ministry, but I certainly don't believe it.

So who do I recruit?

The Young - Part 1 of 4

Acts 16

¹He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. ²The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. ³Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. ⁴As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.

Timothy was most likely in his late teens or early 20s. Of all the people Paul could have chosen to take with him on his journeys, he chose Timothy.

• He had a strong family (2 Timothy 1:5)
• Dedication to the Mission (He allowed himself to be circumcised)
• He had a good character which grew into a reputation.

You need to recruit the Timothys in your church.

Recruit College Students Who Get It

• They’re full of energy, understand teenagers (some of them are teens), and middle schoolers love them.
• These guys are future church leaders, and they need older men to pour into them and give them opportunities to start leading.

Recruit 20-Somethings Who Get It

• They’re full of energy and creativity.
• They tend to be the innovators in our culture.
• They’re looking to make their mark on the world. Why not point that energy towards something which truly matters.