There is a fallacy in youth work, well maybe it’s not in youth work itself, rather in the church in general. The fallacy is this, that you can become too old for youth work. This is unfortunate at best and damaging at worst. Some great people get shifted out of youth work, when they don’t need to be. Why is that so? Maybe it’s like this…
Have a picture of a ‘typical’ youth worker in your mind, and you’ll probably think of a man or woman in their 20s. They have the right clothes, their hair is bang on trend (oh dear, I’ve started to sound like Gok Wan) and their iPhone is full of the most achingly cool music. It’s OK, I do the same.
But the trouble is that many people outside youth work (and within it too) see this stereotype as the only kind of youth worker. If you don’t conform to this ‘norm’ you run the risk of being judged as not youth worker material. And that’s just not true.
Yes, there are some great youth workers who actually do conform to this stereotype and play a great part in the mission to and discipleship of young people. But there are other glorious youth workers who bear no resemblance to this picture, and they’re just as amazing at ministering to young people.
I in no way fit that stereotype. There are too many things that count against me: I’m 40, I love the Eurovision Song Contest, I don’t have an Xbox or PlayStation. In fact, I have just paused writing this blog to dig out my copy of Hits 8 (featuring Five Star, Bros and Debbie Gibson) so that I could answer a tweet about it.
Yet there is a vital role that people like me can play as a youth worker, just as much as anyone else. You’re never too old, too uncool or too quirky to work with young people. All you have to be is honest and prepared to listen.
If you grew up in the church and think back to who it was who led your youth group. What were they like? What do you remember about them? I can probably guess that it’s not that they were cool and fashionable. It’ll be because they listened to you, they were genuine and authentic, they treated you with respect and helped you through some difficult times.
When the young people we work with look back on their time with us, they won’t remember your clothes (unless loon pants are you thing, then maybe they will). They’ll remember you and how you treated them. In fact, they’ll remember how you showed Jesus to them.
Be yourself. You can’t be Judith Chalmers, she’s already taken (sorry, I couldn’t resist making an out-of-date reference). The young people in your group want to know you, and discover what Jesus means to you, regardless how old you are. So, put down your zimmer, pick up a table-tennis bat and get on with being a great youth worker.
Alex Taylor leads a Scripture Union holiday for 13- to 17-year-olds and delights in confusing young people by making cultural references to the 1980s.