I have strong feelings about stuff.

It comes as no shock to the scads of readers of this blog that I have strong feelings about stuff and things. I've mentioned a few such things/issues/topics over this year of blogging...no need to rehash right now....

Let me introduce a new topic into the mix, it ranks in my top five:

Churches that don't care about their youth.

Churches won't straight out admit that of course. They hide behind budget shortfalls, controlling boards that hamstring their youth workers or just complain about the 'mess' that youth leave in their wake.

This past week in Banff, I heard more than a few stories of churches ditching youth workers in a variety of ways...and I always wonder, what happens to the youth in these groups? And what are we teaching them by constantly getting rid of the very people we hire to "deal with youth"?

Here's what I think we are teaching the youth:

• You are not important. Our agenda is. Tough luck.
• You are not worth it. See above.
• Commitment. There is a double standard here. We expect you to be committed, but we will pick and choose when we will commit. And most likely we won't commit to you.

I could go on, but I won't. The reality is that youth are the marginalized in our churches. They are the least understood, least welcomed group in the church. They don't dress right, they are loud, rude, have nothing to offer and are a bit intimidating.

OR, they are creative dressers, passionate and excited about life, discovering themselves and their gifts and have love and loyalty to offer in abundance. It all depends on your point of view.

This issue has been fired up in my brain for a couple of reasons, the first being the friends at Banff who feel alone and abandoned by the very churches they serve. The second is hearing about what is happening in my niece and nephew's church right now. And the third is a vaguely familiar feeling that has been absent in my life for 3 years...a desire to be back in ministry.

More than half of the day today I spent thinking about youth, their lives and what I used to love about being a youth pastor. I think having the 5 lovely ladies spend the weekend with us reminded me of the gift of being able to journey with youth through the teenage years.

There was something that was reawakened in my spirit today. Maybe it was hope. Maybe it was a renewed desire to engage again. Maybe it was the still small voice of God asking if I was ready.