I’ve been leading my junior high ministry for almost nine years now, and there is one type of leader I always have wanted to have and that greatly desired to become. I’ve always coveted a leader or two who had been doing youth ministry long enough and had enough life experience that they could speak wisdom into other leaders’ lives.

I would love to have leaders who could point out to the rest of the team what kind of conversations need to happen and what students do merely for the pleasure of having people pay attention to them. That kind of leader would be invaluable! The stereotype, though, surrounding youth ministry is that the leaders must be young, hip, popular and shave their heads because they want to and can. That’s a little awkward, because I’m no longer young, probably never was hip or popular, and I shave my head because I’m trying to hide my baldness that I no longer can label as premature. I’m getting closer and closer to being that older youth leader I’ve always wanted, and as I get closer to that goal, I am beginning to recognize the true and numerous advantages of being an older youth worker.

1) You come with a voice of authority that the young’uns just can’t match yet. Students always will gravitate toward young, popular leaders when times are good; but when their lives get difficult, they almost always seek out an older, more mature voice. Students inherently know who will be able to speak wisdom into their situation. More often than not, an older youth worker will have more life wisdom to share and can be an incalculable blessing to a hurt and struggling student.

2) You have more credibility with parents. Youth ministry in general still seems to struggle with credibility. Parents are naturally hesitant to entrust their children to anyone except themselves and even more reluctant to entrust them to the 20-something who just ripped into the parking lot with his tricked out hatchback. Being an older youth worker gives parents more confidence that you’ll be responsible enough to care for and nurture their children. Parents love the young youth worker who can relate to their student, but they need the older youth worker to have the confidence that their students are safe, protected and cared for.

3) You get to see long-term fruit. It comes as no surprise that fruit is sometimes hard to see in youth ministry. Youth ministry often feels like one long conversation between Jesus and Peter: brief moments of clarity and growth followed by months of frustrating backslides, confusion and misunderstandings. Staying in youth ministry long enough to be an older youth worker, though, means you get to see long-term growth and fruit. I’ve been in long enough now that individuals who were students in the ministry have become high school students, student leaders, adult leaders, part of my core leadership team and people I trust to take care of things when I’m gone. That wouldn’t have happened if I had left because I felt as if I were too old.

Young youth workers are amazing! They bring energy, passion, excitement and fun to the ministry. Older youth workers bring life experience, credibility and long-term vision–all of which is necessary for success. Stay in the game long enough to be an older youth worker and be OK with shaving your head because you have to, not because it looks cool.