Back in April, I started writing a little three part series for en looking at the role of the traditional youth and children's worker.
We started by establishing that there was a role to be played by the church in teaching youth and children and that it wasn't all the parents' job. Then we looked at some reasons why I believe it is a very legitimate thing to do to appoint someone to do that role in a church. As we finish, I've got just three thoughts for churches as they think about employing and supporting someone in this role, based on everything we've looked at so far.
- Back who you employ
First of all it is really important to back whoever it is you end up employing in this position. There are some really obvious ways you can do this - for example, give them a decent wage (I'll leave the exact figures to others to argue about, but it is worth considering what lifestyle and life stage the salary you offer could support). Another important thing is to invest in training, either theological training or continuous professional development including things like conferences. It won't be cheap, but if the role is as significant, as we've argued, they are worth the investment.
One part of backing your Youth and Children's Worker is to consider the profile you give to the person doing this role. We've argued that it is a legitimate and important teaching role and should be held up as such. A couple of ways you can do this is to give them good levels of recognition from the front of church and make sure they are given the appropriate levels of prominence in places like the church website. It is important that any Youth and Children's Worker you employ feels recognised and valued.
