I am increasingly convinced that Paul was an excellent first century youth leader. Younger men accompany him at various stages on his journeys and we know that young people came to listen to him.
The account of Eutychus in Acts 20 sounds like a youth meeting - they even fell asleep back then! Timothy and Titus, the two most well known of Paul's proteges, are both young men. Paul was their role model and his letters to them emphasise their similar positions within their churches. Paul knew the value of good role models, he tells them about the importance of setting an example to other believers, notably younger men (Titus 2.6-7 & 1 Timothy 4.12). Paul also encouraged a system of role models within the churches (see Titus 2).
Nature or nurture?
The idea of role models is not lost on us today. We are all too aware of the good and bad ones that surround our young people. As youth leaders the concept of being a 'role model' presents two questions: are we providing good role models for our young people and do we realise young people will follow our lead whether it is good or bad? We will deal with the second question first.
