I.      Introduction

A.    When I was in college, I gave a talk about young people and the church.

1.     I said that young people are not only the future of the church, but they are also the present.

2.     I thought I had done well until an older man who was hard of hearing walked up to me later and said, AYou are right.  Young people are the future of the church.@  He missed my point!

B.    Today, I still believe the point that I tried to make then.

1.     I believe that we do young people a disservice if we lead them to believe that their function in the church is only to be realized in the future.

2.     This is dangerous because if young people do not serve in the present, they will not be prepared to lead in the future.

C.    To make a point, let us consider the qualifications for an elder of the church in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9.