When you look at the stereotypical personality types of a youth minister and a senior minister we shouldn’t be overly surprised that there are going to be some challenges. Add to that generational and cultural differences and we have lots of character building opportunities for everyone. Your individual situation might be less of the stereotype but I strongly suspect for most there are still significant personality and cultural differences that affect your relationships and how you do ministry together. By identifying these differences we have the opportunity for mutual critique, open communication and the opportunity to work together in a way that will be more God glorifying and ministry impacting.
When it comes to personality, senior ministers probably tend to be more theoretical; they like study and want to think through the issues before acting on a plan. Youth ministers can tend to be more activist, they want to get out there and do it and they are more interested in the doing than the theory. Senior ministers tend to be more measured and organised, youth ministers tend to be more laid back and spontaneous.
These differences in personality are often compounded by the generation gap. Younger staff have grown up in the period of cultural history we label Gen-Y which has a significant influence on how they view life. They have been bought up in a period of western history where everything is available instantly and they have been sold an expectation that they will get results and gratification quickly for their effort. They have been told they can do anything if they just put their mind to it and their role models are likely to be young entrepreneurs, both Christian and secular, who have dramatically impacted the world by the time they are 30. They don’t believe age necessarily deserves respect and Google is where you find the answers to life’s questions. Work and ministry are experiences and if they don’t find satisfaction in that experience then they leave to find something that is satisfying. Unfortunately that youthful exuberance sometimes crashes dramatically into the harder reality of ministry life, some dig in and push on, others become frustrated and disillusioned.
The secular work force has identified the challenge of working with a vastly different generation of young people and they are learning to adapt. There are characteristic values of generation Y that must be challenged and rebuked; however we also need to recognise the good and we need to learn how to make the most of our cultural and generational differences so we can serve together effectively. Ultimately what Christ has done in unifying us is infinitely greater than any differences thrust upon us by our personality or culture but we still need to work out how to function together in the now but not yet. I think understanding our differences is a first step. The second is to consider what we need to reject in our worldview and what do we need to embrace from theirs? Thirdly, we need to bear with each other in love and work out what it means to work for the God glorifying good of the other.
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)
How have you seen the personality and generational differences affecting how your team relates and works together? Do you have any tips for making it work well?
