The majority of feedback I get from this newsletter is often positive and in agreement with my somewhat random opinions.

But I figured I would share with you one of my most controversial opinions that most of you are going to dislike (or outright hate).

So keep your finger on the reply button.

Here’s one of my most controversial opinions when it comes to church leadership:

In our faith tradition, we dramatically overemphasize our focus on the youth.

There, I said it.

If you consider the budgets, time, meeting focus, and loss of sleep given to the youth, it is daunting.

But, Kurt, don’t you understand the critical time the youth are facing?

Don’t you understand the mental health concerns the youth experience?

What about the temptation that constantly assaults them?

Social media!?!?!

We are losing them!!!!

My response: I agree.

My critique of an imbalanced focus on the youth doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take the youth’s mortal battles seriously.

This unpopular opinion can be summed up in two points:

(1) By overemphasizing the youth, those in the greatest need are often forgotten.

(2) By passing over other groups in order to focus on youth, we are actually offering less to the youth.

Allow me to explain by drawing attention to one vulnerable group that often gets forgotten in our effort to focus on the daunting struggles of youth.

Statistically speaking, the group in an average ward most likely to lose someone to suicide is by far the elders quorum.

Even with this fact, very little is offered to the elders quorum in terms of budget, transformational activities (similar to FSY or weekly experiential activities), and Sunday instruction that is redemptive.

Many adult men would describe their church experience as full of guilt-trips, passive aggressive motivational lectures, and empty tips that do little to help them overcome the sin they face in life.

Here is the biggest irony of all…

As so many in our culture are focused on helping youth, few, if any, attempt to reach for the biggest solution to the youth’s issues…

…and that is the potential relationship youth could have with the men who sit in elders quorum (specifically their fathers).

If you want to fix the youth, walk down the hall and fix the elders quorum.

More on this to come after I read all the discontent headed towards my inbox. ????

Sincerely,

Kurt Francom
Executive Director
Leading Saints

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