So you think God is calling you to Youth Ministry?

My first piece of advice is to go back to God and double check. Make sure He has thought this through. HahaHa!!! No really.

Youth ministry is one of the most rewarding ministries and the most heart-breaking. It is not for the faint of heart or weak stomached. I think you know this, but it is not just fun and games. It is life and death. You are answering a very serious calling and will require you to really think about what you believe and if it matches with scripture.

Students are leaving the church in droves because of reasons of "it's boring" to "not relevant or practical". (https://answersingenesis.org/christianity/church/already-gone/) So to be a youth minister you be aware of this simple, discouraging occurrence. Church leadership may look to you to be the single solution to this phenomenon. Parents may claim it is your lack of attention to their child as the reason for their kid not wanting to attend. Pastors will tell you it is activities and fun outing that keep students involved. Others will say your group is too "clickish", and to fix it. All of these may be true in some simple form, but are by no means absolutes.

Kids do NOT need a Jesus Channel entertainer. They do need to know the Church, The Bible, you, the Pastor, Jesus are really all that you say they are, and will be there no matter what. You will pour your life into kids and they will just walk away one day. Then other kids you would not have thought will turn around and be wanting to be youth ministers themselves.

Another warning is the Bible says we should not be quick to want to be teachers because we will be judged tougher (James 3). I know you know that, but you have to remember, this warning is for you now as well, not just the preacher.

I still have a lot to learn about youth ministry. Here are 10 really big ideas, that I have learned, that I believe make a big difference. 

BTW. I am very proud of you for allowing God to sanctify you this way and following his leading.

1st. Your job is to point people, kids, families to Jesus. That is your number one priority. Ministry has to be vertical. Kids need to look up to see where their help comes from. I really believe the central theme of all of scripture is "giving Glory to God". That is done through Jesus and Jesus alone. ITS ALL ABOUT JESUS. I wish someone would have reinforced this 15 years ago. I know and knew that, but it wasn't always number 1 on my list. It's easy to get caught up activities, surviving, being there, that we forget that at times. If you try to do other things beside teach Christ, you will burn out and run out. Also Kids will not get what they really need; Christ in them to will and to act according to His purpose, for His Glory.

2. Support their parents. Encourage them to follow their parents. Repeat what their parents say. Be very careful in saying a parent is wrong or that you think it should be different. Your age and experience doesn't allow for it. Even with a daughter out of high school, I don't talk against parents or undermine them.This is tough when you see a dad blatantly against the church or a mom putting a daughter down. You have to keep in mind we have to Honor our father and mother. It is the first command with a promise.

3. This goes along with 2. See yourself as a "Family minister" not just youth. Your kids have to live in the home and the best change comes when the environment changes and has support. Also Jesus said he is the dad of this family we call church, so family is the core of the church. You are working to support the core. You can not teach youth and kids apart from their family life. Support it and think about the whole family as you teach, plan activities, costs, theology, etc.

4. Love your youth and kids as Jesus loves you. As messed up and stinky as the boys are, love them. As spiteful as the girls are, love them. Tell them you love them. Give them hugs and tell them you are proud of them for small things. In short, always be encouraging. Search for that little glimmer of something amazing and valuable in your kids, and really bring that out for everyone to see. Then God can show off and he gets the glory.

5. Make the gospel fun. You can have Jesus as the focus and center and it be a blast. It should be a sin to bore a kid with the gospel, or adults for that matter. (I can't remember who said that, but it's true.)

6. Keep it simple, but don't dumb down the Bible. Kids have things dumbed down for them all the time and they realize it. Kids need to be challenged by scripture. The apostles said several times, "This is a hard teaching". If we have to think, we will grow.

7. Get your hands dirty. Jesus was an active teacher and a doer. James said if we have faith we need to prove it. Jesus said if you abide in me you will bear fruit. So find simple projects in the community. Collect stuff for a Christmas food give-away. repair wheelchair ramps or help old people plant veggies in the flower beds. Get dirty. Make their faith seen. Jesus got down in the dirt with people. Jesus in John 15:8 people will see our good works and glorify our father in heaven. Having the kids work with a vertical mindset, point people vertical.

8. Find a unique way to involve kids in worship. This can be tough for some churches. But something like a stick/ dowel rod ministry, or puppets to do for younger kids or vbs. Maybe art to music if you have a really creative kid. something more than handing out bulletins or taking up offering. Something that takes practice. Creative. Takes them out of their comfort zone.

9. Get other adults involved as helpers. If you aren't artsy, I bet there is a lady in the church that is, get her to lead that part and you be a part of it. If you don't know construction, get a dad who can teach the youth how to fix porch rails. Find a little old couple to teach the youth how to plant veggies for people and get the stuff together. God gives us the body to meet all the needs of the church, so use it. It will give more support from the church, which will make everyone more receptive to more people and ministry opportunities.

10. . . could be anything. See what God is doing already and jump on. You don't have to come with everything yourself. But as a warning, every good idea is not for you or your group. Think it through, listen to older wiser believers, and pray you are following God's direction.

  

You can meet anywhere you can move chairs out of the way.
You can teach anything as long as the Bible is open and the primary source.
You can play anything as long as nobody looses an arm or face.
You can go just about anywhere and have a good time together.
But have I mentioned Jesus has to be first. If I didn't keep that in mind. I think you have that as your first thought, but it is easy to get distracted from that fact later on. 

You think God is calling you to be a youth minister? 

Congratulations. Enjoy it. 

Have fun with Jesus.

Point youth vertical.

What's around the bend?

Let me start by saying, I love driving. I love seeing new places and new roads. Sometimes I want to know where I am going, sometimes I just want to drive and see where I end up. But there are different types of roads. Let's talk about two.

I went to central Illinois for the first time a few years ago. The first time looking out across the prairie and fields was amazing. The corn fields dancing in the breeze, the streams slowly drifting across the landscape cutting straight across fields and property lines. The sky went all the way from the east to the west. A full 180 degrees above and 360 degrees in every direction. The sun hit the house at 5:30am and didn't set until 9:30pm. While receiving directions I was taken outside. The gentleman points and says, "you see those light fixtures? They are six miles away. They are at the exit. If you go toward those lights the whole time, you will get there." Sure enough. I could see those lights almost the entire 6 miles. Got there with no problem.

I knew how fast the wind was blowing by looking at the wind mill 10 miles north of our house. The point is, on the prairie you can see a long ways away.


Now I live back in one of the most interesting places on the face of the earth, the Cumberland Plateau, it's a part of the Appalachian region. (And for you foreigners, that is pronounced App-uh-latch-un). The plateau is marked by steep hills, cut by streams constantly running between them and large rivers that flood. The roads here move with the bends and turns and elevation the streams and rivers contain. Houses are build on the sides of the mountains. If you have flat river bottom land, it's valuable. The sun might hits our house around 9:30am and set around 7:30pm, but my parents only get about 5 hours of sun in the winter. People don't usually live at the top of most mountains, because it just quickly drops off on both sides.


This type of terrain makes driving interesting. You move with the mountains and land. You cruise along with the rivers. You don't just drive across the ground, you and your car are a part of the road and the world around you. I love to take the long way here.

BUT, this means you have to be careful. You can't see what's up ahead. You don't know whats around the bend. Ice may be covering the road that hasn't melted on the North side of a holler. You don't know how long or steep the curve. You can't see most entrances onto the main roads. Driving requires a lot of caution and a lot of faith.

But isn't that how FAITH is described. Abraham didn't have all the details as he went west and could not see over the next hill. Joseph didn't know what would happen when being taken to Egypt. Joshua didn't know all of the places he would fight. Elijah could not see past the end of his cave. Mary and Joseph didn't have all the details of their family. But they went with God anyhow.


Sometimes it's tough though, isn't it? Trusting that God will lead me around the curve into something great and beautiful. To trust God enough to believe his vision placed before me, even though I can only see so far.

The vision God gives us takes on traits of both types of roads. He gives us a long vision and a bunch of short visions. We spend more time on the short vision road, though. God shows us a little bit at a time. We have to have faith to go to the curve. There might be a huge drop off on one side or it may open up to a beautiful valley or mountain top view. It's as if God is saying, "It's OK. Keep your head, take your time, we will travel together and we will get there." But also he says, "Roll the windows down, feel the curves, smell the air, listen to what's going on around you. I've made this journey for you."

Ask the Spirit to show you what to do, where to go. There are signs along the way, people to stop and ask (usually in your church), maps that tell what to expect (the Bible). If we are willing, God will set us straight. He has prepared good works for us do since the beginning of time.

It makes the drive even more enjoyable, to know God has laid out the road and is taking us along on it. He is pointing out the directions. Allowing us to enjoy what he has done.

Let God take you down the road. Slow down going into the curves, punching it coming out. Let's see where God will take us.

The Coffee Psalm

I love when I find new ways of expressing ourselves to God. In looking for a way to teach my kids Thanksgiving and worship I came across this psalm.

There could be the thought, that this psalm is making trite (overused and consequently of little import; lacking originality or freshness) the worship of God. In fact this psalm is doing the opposite. It is relating to God in a new way. Expressing to God our inner thoughts based on what we know, have, and enjoy.

So enjoy this little cup of praise.

IN something

Being IN something is always important to us. When we are little kids we want to be "IN a club", so we make them up. We say things like, "I'm IN a band". "I'm IN scouts." "I'm IN A.A." or maybe "I'm IN a relationship." We may say, "I'm IN trouble." "I'm IN debt." Being IN something is kinda important to us as people. We are social beings in search of our identity and someway in which to relay that identity. Lots of the groups we are in even have uniforms or at least T-shirts, so people can see what we are in.  Usually these things take a lot of work to remain IN. If we don't put effort into our girlfriend or husband we may no longer be IN a relationship. If we don't put hours of practice into an instrument, then we will no longer be IN a band and they will get a new kazoo player. If we don't put effort, accountability, and determination into A.A. then we will continue abusing alcohol.

Here lately I have tried to put a lot of effort IN being a Christian. I have tried to make myself feel sorry for sin. I have tried to make myself get up and pray. I have beat myself up over not being good enough, a "fake", and a lazy good-for-nothing jerk when it came to loving Christ. That all gets pretty exhausting and makes for a grumpy Christian.

I read about a nun from the 1500's named Teresa of Avila. She seemed to have the same problems I have at time. She finally got to the point that she stopped praying because she felt too wretched and evil to do something as intimate as prayer.

In Bible college I was taught this amazing Bible reading fact. If something is repeated over and over and over, it might be important, so pay attention to it. (I know, pretty profound, huh.) This happened recently in the Letter to the Ephesians in the Bible by the Apostle Paul. I started noticing a repetition. The words "IN CHRIST" or "IN HIM" just jumped off the page and kinda smacked me upside the head. Here are just a few things that Paul says happens when we are "IN Christ".

Chapter 1
v1 we are saints
v1 we are faithful because of it
v3 we have every spiritual blessing because of it
v4 we are chosen
v5 we are adopted
v6 we are freely given his glorious grace
v7 we have redemption
v9 we will know the mystery of his will
v11 we are chosen and it is God's plan
v12 we have hope
v13 we are included, saved, and marked with the Holy Spirit
v23 we are filled with his fullness

Chapter 2
v7 he will show the incomparable riches of his grace and kindness
v10 we are God's workmanship, created to do good works
v13 we have been brought near to God
v22 "you too are being built together (all believers) to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

There is much more in the Ephesians and the New Testament about being "IN Christ". In fact I did a quick search and found "in Christ" 145 times in the New Testament. This doesn't even count when Jesus said phrases that include "IN me" or Paul said, "IN him" or other variations. So here is something that hit me. The fact that we are "IN CHRIST", might be more important, and powerful, than being "IN myself". That's what it really boils down to, my attitude and thoughts about myself. It's "IN me". What I am doing, what I am reading, and how I am acting. This whole being a Christian may not really be based on how we feel, how we see ourselves, how good we are at the disciplines, or even how wretched or evil we might really be. I think when we do this, we make ourselves out to be God; we think God doesn't really know what he's talking about, or that God can't really do all those things in us.

So from what I gather the Christian life might be easier and much better if I turn this over and live it "IN CHRIST" instead of "IN Mitch". I allow God to do the work in me that he apparently already has planned and predestined me to do. I let God do the saving and the giving of grace and incomparable riches. I allow his Spirit to bring me near to God and adopt me as his kid.

So I guess we need to get into the mindset of "I'm IN Christ" more than in anything else.

Take a pencil, ink pen, crayon, and as you are reading through your Bible mark the "IN Christ" passages along with the blessing or benefit of being there. This is going to become a practice I'm really going to get IN to, and I haven't seen the t-shirt yet.