Tim Schmoyer
I am the full-time youth pastor at Evangelical Covenant Church in Alexandria, Minnesota, where I serve an incredible group of students with an outstanding team of adult youth leaders. My wife and I moved here from Dallas, Texas, in February 2006 and love watching the Lord work through us with these teenagers.
On Mark Oestreicher leaving YS
- By Tim Schmoyer
- Published 10/23/2009
Normally I don’t blog to voice opinions about current events, but Zondervan’s press release about releasing Mark Oestreicher from Youth Specialties is causing such a stir of emotions in youth workers that it’s getting out of control and needs to be addressed.
While I respect people’s freedom to express their feelings through blogs and Twitter, some of you are jumping to illogical conclusions based on speculation and gossip. Wait until you have the facts before before making such judgments. We all hate it when people in our churches do the same about us or our ministry when a nugget of information starts spreading and is soon taken out of context, but yet that’s what we’re doing here with Zondervan and Marko.
Granted, the manner in which Zonderan released this information is indicative of a proper, almost impersonal, business approach. Clearly they don’t quite “get” the youth ministry audience and could’ve communicated it much better than they did, but that’s not a valid reason to start bashing Zondervan because they let Tic Long go first and now Marko. Youth workers, more than anyone else, should be familiar with change and transitions. Every year we say goodbye to a graduating class while saying hello to a new incoming class, causing our ministries to be in a constant state of flux from year to year.
As if that turnover wasn’t enough, youth culture and trends are constantly shifting and trying to stay on top of the communication game is often a struggle. Maybe in a youth ministry world of constant change, Marko felt like the constant we could always depend on, and when it’s gone, the loss creates deep insecurity and even wounds. If that’s the case, then I suggest we need to reevaluate Who our anchor is in ministry. (Some of the comments I see on blogs and Twitter definitely cross the line into idolatry, putting Marko on a pedestal that’s much higher than where any man man ought to be.)
But even so, Marko is not dead, he’s just transitioning. He’s not disappearing from the earth, just moving to do new things to help further the Kingdom among teenagers. Marko will be fine. Youth Specialties will be fine. For all we know, this could be the best thing for both of them.
Although I admittedly embrace change a bit easier than most people I know, I’m actually excited to see what’s in store for Youth Specialties. I absolutely feel for Marko and have been praying for him and YS for the past couple days, but I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how the Lord will use him to make a continued impact on youth ministry.
In the meantime, chillax. Quit the gossip and idle speech.
While I respect people’s freedom to express their feelings through blogs and Twitter, some of you are jumping to illogical conclusions based on speculation and gossip. Wait until you have the facts before before making such judgments. We all hate it when people in our churches do the same about us or our ministry when a nugget of information starts spreading and is soon taken out of context, but yet that’s what we’re doing here with Zondervan and Marko.
Granted, the manner in which Zonderan released this information is indicative of a proper, almost impersonal, business approach. Clearly they don’t quite “get” the youth ministry audience and could’ve communicated it much better than they did, but that’s not a valid reason to start bashing Zondervan because they let Tic Long go first and now Marko. Youth workers, more than anyone else, should be familiar with change and transitions. Every year we say goodbye to a graduating class while saying hello to a new incoming class, causing our ministries to be in a constant state of flux from year to year.
As if that turnover wasn’t enough, youth culture and trends are constantly shifting and trying to stay on top of the communication game is often a struggle. Maybe in a youth ministry world of constant change, Marko felt like the constant we could always depend on, and when it’s gone, the loss creates deep insecurity and even wounds. If that’s the case, then I suggest we need to reevaluate Who our anchor is in ministry. (Some of the comments I see on blogs and Twitter definitely cross the line into idolatry, putting Marko on a pedestal that’s much higher than where any man man ought to be.)
But even so, Marko is not dead, he’s just transitioning. He’s not disappearing from the earth, just moving to do new things to help further the Kingdom among teenagers. Marko will be fine. Youth Specialties will be fine. For all we know, this could be the best thing for both of them.
Although I admittedly embrace change a bit easier than most people I know, I’m actually excited to see what’s in store for Youth Specialties. I absolutely feel for Marko and have been praying for him and YS for the past couple days, but I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how the Lord will use him to make a continued impact on youth ministry.
In the meantime, chillax. Quit the gossip and idle speech.
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Comments
Comment #1 (Posted by an unknown user)
A word I needed to hear. Thank you.
