You can't win with youth alone

You may have heard about a little trade that happened in the NBA this summer when the Minnesota Timberwolves sent Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a package that included Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, and two No. 1 draft picks. It was an unprecedented trade because of the amount of young talent the Wolves received for one of the game’s top players. It’s also just the kind of trade that gets a beaten-down fan base—Timberwolves fans like me—excited. What talent! What possibilities! What a future!

But see, that’s just it. We have a future to look forward to (hopefully), but the present is likely to be a bumpy ride. It is so easy to get caught up in the energy and enthusiasm of a youth movement and forget that with youth comes inexperience and a steep learning curve.

Winning isn’t something a team just does; it’s something they learn to do. Look at the recent NBA champions—San Antonio, Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles, Boston, Detroit—all were veteran teams. In his day, even Michael Jordan had to get knocked down before becoming a champion. Think about the Kansas City Royals and the amazing run they’re on to get to the World Series. They lost and lost and lost so they could learn to win. Youth is fun. Experience succeeds.

I work for a large Christian organization that serves and partners with thousands of churches across the country. One of the trends I observe in the church is akin to sports fans’ excitement with “youth movements.” Often the sense among leaders and congregants is that tradition and grayheads have lost value and churches would be better off if they could “trade them” for younger, fresher faces and ways. This is understandable; the emotional boost that comes with an exciting new leader looks a lot like success. But will it last? Does it have the fortitude and wisdom to overcome the inevitable challenges?

I don’t write this to pit youth versus experience. When you look at all those successful teams you see veterans and youth. You see guys who are not yet old but who have been around long enough to know how to win. That model is what the church needs. Youth movements are like fireworks—bright and explosive and then gone in ashes. On the other hand, churches that glorify age and traditions petrify and shrivel to lifeless husks. Both need the other.

Young church leaders need the seasoned veterans and need to listen closely to them. Their experience does not make them irrelevant; it proves them. Older leaders need younger people for their energy and perspective and ideas (even the silly ones). And both benefit from those guys in the middle who are neither young nor old who can bridge the gap. Without any of these, the “team” would lean toward one extreme or the other, or it might devolve into conflict. But with a mix it can be well-grounded, wise, competent passionate, and exciting. And that blend equals success.