Redirecting Youth Ministry

So, i've been doing this thing called 'youth ministry' for a few years now. It has been cool because i've been able to basically build from scratch. I started working for a church that had a youth minister before me, and a core group of kids (around a half dozen), but not an established ministry. So i came in, rolled up my sleeves and started to build.

My mistake was that i was trying to build a youth ministry based on cultural standards. You had to be the coolest or have the coolest this or that or come up with the messiest games to play or have the coolest kids coming each week. I hated it! I'd agonize over the schedule of service for days. I'd read this person's opinion or that person's opinion and then bang my head against the wall a few times. It was pure torture.

Then... a few months ago i said scratch it (i actually said 'screw it', but that's too PG-13 to say here). I was going to build a ministry based on the basics. The Bible and serving the community. That's a tough sale, so i decided to stop selling it. I just dug my heels in and started teaching the Bible and looking for opportunities to serve. Opened up the book of Mark and started teaching. (Don't get me wrong. It's not boring. I am relevant. But I decided to quit teaching what itching ears wanted to hear and started teaching on the life and teachings of Jesus).

Then... a girl in my youth group told me about this place in town which was helping elderly people. She said, 'we need to get out of the four walls and do something'. I said 'Amen sister!' and called the place. They began to tell me that their biggest need was their food pantry and food. I said, 'We can help...'

Then... i broke the city into four quadrants, called my buddy at the Wickenburg Sun Newspaper and decided to organize a food drive throughout the entire city over the next four months. Last Friday, we gathered about 20 people and headed to the food pantry (better known as the Community Action Program or CAP) and donated our time. We washed windows, cleaned floor mats and sorted through pickled herring and various cans of beans. Before we knew it, we organized the entire food pantry and cleaned the entire place. The staff was pleased and the kids were so satisfied in the work that they had done.

Then... you'll have to stay tuned to find out. The drive starts in two weeks. The one thing that i know is that i sense in my gut that we're headed out into uncharted territories. I sense in my guy that we're doing the right thing. I sense in my gut that we're following the leading of the Holy Spirit. I sense in my gut that God is so proud of these teens.

My advice to you... follow your heart. Don't try to be something you're not. Don't try to live up to someone else's standards. Don't compare yourself to someone else. And, if you're a minister, don't count your success by the number of people sitting in the chairs. There are lots of full, dead youth ministries. Think of the impact that is going on in their souls and the opportunities that you're giving these kids to serve. Those experiences will change them... not the number of times that they got covered in ketchup or the mud puddle that they wrestled in like pigs. Get them out there to see the faces of the hurting and the needy and those without hope and then, when they look in the mirror, they will see the smile of Jesus resonating from their own face.

Your Partner in the Gospel,
GP
www.gphintz.com