what does that mean?
I was reminded this morning from the married to a youth pastor blog about some phrases church-y people use. I got to thinking about some of the ministry descriptors youthworkers frequently utilize. Foremost among them, is the line:
“I JUST WANNA LOVE ON KIDS”
If you didn’t know those words were a part of a youth pastor parlance and you heard me say that, isn’t it well within the realm of possibility that you’d call the cops? This is kind of a creepy statement. Who says that? I’ve used the phrase from time to time. What, exactly was I trying to communicate? Here are a list of a few meanings for this choice phrase among youth workers:
- I HAVE BAD TIME-MANAGEMENT SKILLS
As in: I couldn’t get that budget filled out, email returned, or attend that committee meeting. You see, I’m here to do one thing – I just wanna love on kids. - I’M REALLY SORRY ABOUT THAT
As in: I didn’t mean to treat your son that way. I always want what’s best for the students. I realize the late night blue-flaming session in a cabin on our winter retreat was inappropriate. I also know shaving “cabin 8 rules” on the side of his head might have been a bad call. But, I just wanna love on kids. - WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I SUPPOSED TO DO HERE?
As in: My pastor never really gave me a job description. So, I teach. I run some events. But I spend most of my time lovin’ on kids. - I MADE A NOBLE CAREER SWITCH
As in: I used to work in finance. You know, I was an investment banker with Credit Suisse First Boston. Sure the Manhattan high-rise was nice. The yacht – magic. The summers in Monaco were something special. But, I felt God nudging me a bit. My heart was changing and now — I just wanna love on kids.
I’ve been in youth ministry since 1995. Truthfully, so long as we’re on the same page, I suppose the reason I got started doing high school ministry was because I felt like students weren’t well-loved. So, in that sense, I too, just wanna love on kids. I just need another way to describe that sentiment.
