I'm a young pastor in a traditional church where every other leader is decades older than me. Paul's instruction to Timothy not to let anyone despise his youth but to be an example has helped me navigate that reality. I don't have to apologize for being young or pretend to be older than I am.
What I'm learning is that youth brings gifts—energy, fresh perspectives, connection to younger people—that shouldn't be dismissed just because age brings other gifts. The question isn't who's older. It's who's actually faithful, growing, modeling what we claim to believe.
I've become more confident in my leadership precisely because I've stopped trying to be older and started being the best version of who I actually am. And interestingly, older members of my congregation have started being more open to younger leadership because they see that I'm not pretending. I'm not trying to lead like they do. I'm trying to lead faithfully in my own way. That authenticity opens doors that trying to be older would have closed.
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