Earlier today I had a conversation with our church secretary about her son graduating, families moving away, and new students joining the youth ministry program. During the conversation I mentioned off hand that I was in the ministry of constant turn over. Every year a number of students move into the ministry, and at the same time, other students transition out due to moving or graduation. Youth ministry is almost always in a state of transition or change. It would come to no one's surprise that this is true; This is not a giant revelation or an earth shattering phenomenom, simply a fact of youth ministry. It is this reality that got me thinking about the nature of youth ministry and christianity in general.
Recently on a youth mission trip I led to Oklahoma I had the privilege and blessing of meeting several great people involved in life changing ministries. Some were hard working people learning to move on after a disaster, others worked for non-profits, and still others were old youth ministers that had "moved up" into the senior pastor position for the church. But the one I want to focus on, and the one that stood out to me the most, is Roger. Roger had been in youth ministry for thirty years. Thirty years. And what's more is he has been at the same church for all thirty of those years. I was humbled and honored to sit down and listen to stories of wisdom and experience from a man who had spent his whole life sharing the love of Christ with teens. It was simply mind blowing for me to think about how Roger had been doing youth ministry over ten times longer than me. What was even more astounding for me to think about was how kids in Roger's youth group had grown up, got married, and their kids were now in Roger's group. I could only imagine the special relationship that would form in these families as both parent and kid shared the same youth minister. Not even including the rough transition his church is going through, Roger is a testament to faith and perseverance in ministry. He serves as an example of what ministry can be. But more than that he got me thinking about what it means to follow Jesus.
I think people like Roger should be the standard for youth ministry, not the exception. I love to hear about someone who has faithfully served in youth ministry for many years when so many churches and/or positions out there seem to have high turnover rates. People like Roger are in youth ministry for life because that is where God has called them to be. Many times I hear of youth ministers who use their positions as starting points, where their ultimate goal is to become a preacher. I have nothing against people who want to be preachers, or youth ministers who become preachers. Many of my good friends and mentors have done just that. What I don't like is the view that youth ministry is a stepping stone for bigger and better ministries. I believe youth ministry is a stepping stone, but for those we minister to, not the minister themselves. Let me explain.
Youth ministries are in constant flux. Kids move in and kids move out. This is a reality of the job. As youth minister I am constantly involved in the lives of kids who will move on, who will leave. My job is not to get them to stay, my job is to help them move on to the next chapter or phase of life. Whether they are a part of the ministry for 6 years or 6 weeks, my goal is always to point to God, to help others move towards Him wherever they go next. I think this is true of all areas of ministry, but more than that, I think this is true of the Christian life in general. Christ calls us to be last, to put others before ourselves. I think this means being a stepping stone. Not letting people walk all over you, but letting people use you to get closer to God. Not leveraging your power or status to boost yourself farther up the ladder, but to propel others farther down the path. The object and purpose of our lives should be helping others step into who and what they were made to be.
Youth ministry needs to be about the long haul. Its more than providing teens or a church with stability. Its about demonstrating what it means to follow Jesus, Its about about being a stepping stone. Maybe I'm on to something, or maybe this is just another musing of a modern-day sasquatch
No comments:
Post a Comment