I have a question for any of our Youth Ministry readers…pick one of the following situations (all of which are hypothetical but fairly common in our time of ministry), and let me know how you would approach the situation, if at all! As a young student pastor, it’s an issue I’m constantly faced with, but not sure what to do! For all of these scenarios, assume the student is regularly involved in your ministry unless otherwise noted.
- A student posts a picture on Facebook with a “less than appropriate” pose with someone of the opposite sex.
- A student tweets an update with profanity or sexual innuendos.
- A student posts a picture on Instagram with the student and someone of the opposite sex lounging on a couch with beer bottles in the background.
- A student spends what can amount to no less than 9 hours a day retweeting “quotes about boys”, etc., etc.
- A student posts a picture/update aggressively and harmfully directed to a student not in your ministry.
I am sure I’m not alone in saying a lot of these are not uncommon. A few of these have given me a hard time. I’ve only been there a year, and we’ve got some students who LOVE wearing the “Jesus Jacket” for lack of a better term. I don’t think they understand the disconnect between what they’re claiming and what they’re doing. So what about you, would you approach this student? How? Would their gender play a role in if/how you approach them?
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