Protestant youth ministry in the United States has taken many forms over the centuries. There was a time when the home was the primary educator of children. Public education did not exist. Societies, Bible clubs, Sunday school and para-church organizations were the primary Protestant evangelical means of reaching teenagers.

The last 50-plus years of Protestant youth ministry have had some wonderful results. However, some problematic issues exist. The church copied the para-church format of success for reaching students in the 1950s and 1960s. Highly successful examples include Young Life, Youth for Christ, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Campus Crusade, Navigators, and big crusade meetings like Billy Graham’s. The format included food, drama, testimony, music and a message. Baptist churches hired someone to lead with the same format in an effort to reach more youth.

Although unintentional, this structure has created some long-term systemic problems. One is that the youth pastor is given the responsibility of “raising” children. Sometimes this philosophy is verbalized, and sometimes it is quietly understood. The youth pastor is to “fix my child’s problems.” If he does not fix them, then he is doing a horrible job, and the church needs to fire him. If he does fix the problems, then everyone is happy and parents say, “Give him a raise.” The spiritual responsibility for our children (that is, discipleship) is given to the youth pastor and, ultimately, the church. This is problematic, even sinful.

Deuteronomy 6:4-8 gives parents the responsibility of teaching children the truths of Yahweh — not the synagogue or church. Paul also places parents in the spiritual leadership role in Ephesians 6:1-4. Biblically, the parent — not the church — possesses this job. However, the last five decades of Protestant youth ministry lauds the church for taking this responsibility away from parents. Some parents have not been robbed of this opportunity, but they have been exuberant participants and given this responsibility to the church or youth pastor due to a lack of biblical teaching, or perhaps because it is easier.

A second problem created by this philosophical blunder is that the tail is wagging the dog. The youth pastor must do things to keep students happy so they will go home and tell Mom and Dad how much fun the youth group is. Parents, in turn, tell the gatekeepers how good a job the youth pastor is doing. Those who are supposed to be the followers have become the leaders. Our youth ministries have become feel-good factories. Our focus is on making kids happy, not holy.

I am not an advocate of abolishing youth ministry, mainly because of our culture. Broken and dysfunctional families dot our landscape at an alarming rate. Those students need church youth groups. Absentee spiritual leadership in the home dictates myriad variations to God’s plan for the raising and discipling of children. However, youth ministry needs some fine-tuning. A healthier model that rises up from a strong theological foundation is essential to youth ministry. Perhaps the search for a youth pastor should not be for a “young and excellent gamer,” but a theologian who can exegete culture and the Bible.

I suggest that the senior pastor and youth pastor present a unified case to parents about their biblical responsibility to teach their children. Second, I would advocate that the youth pastor lead parents with the philosophy of “coming alongside” parents to assist them in their God-given task of raising and discipling their children. This pursuit is more of a philosophical change than a programmatic change. Some program tweaking may be necessary, but the foundational principle is theological, out of which a youth ministry philosophy emerges. Theology should create philosophy.

The leader of this parade must be the parents. Parents, I pray your youth pastor will come alongside you in this God-given blessing. The best response to our culture is a strong family unit forged together within the family of faith, the church.

— Mike Landrum is director of youth ministry and assistant campus minister at North Greenville University.