training for the long haul

Youth ministry is a hard task. One of the hardest in my eyes. All ministry is hard, childrens, small groups, adult, preaching, media, sports, youth, they are all hard. God doesnt tell us that ministry is going to be easy. As you look back in history, some of the largest wars, death counts, they all have to do with some sort of religion. Ministry is hard work. It takes a lot of time, effort, sacrifice and thoughts. But how much of that is worth it? Obviously you need these things to create ministry, programs, sermons, series, we need these things, but are they the most important.

For a while, I believed that they were. I believed that the bigger the better. The bigger event, the bigger number, the bigger whatever, would show that I am doing the right thing, that I am creating things well. I was able to create super creative things, super fun days, super fun events, and I was able to see the harvest of students that came and enjoyed themselves.

Is that what it is about? What I can get done? What I can create? What my team can create?

For a while, I believed that I needed to do more big events. I needed to do more flashy things and then I was going to see the growth, then I was going to see the answers.

For a while, I think I missed it. I know I missed it.

There has been a resurgence in my life in the most recent days and months of my life. There has been an eye opening experience that I missed. God is more important than anything else. This resurgence in my life, has been dedicated to figuring out what it is that I need to do last in youth ministry. I have fallen in love with youth ministry a long time ago. I fell in love with youth ministry when I was 18. But even when I was 18, I dont know if I fell in love with the right thing. I fell in love with the flashy, with events, with the numbers, with the results. Not all of those things are bad and I dont think that really any of those things can be bad unless you let them run your ministry. I have begun a resurgence to know what is more important.

This resurgence in my life has started a thought process in my heart of how to be able to last a long time in youth ministry. I love working with high school and junior high students. I love the ability to get up in front of these students and hopefully teach them what God wants for their lives. What I love to do is something that God has put on my heart, and HE has allowed me to be in this line of work. He has guided me to this point in my life, where this resurgence is almost taking over my life. I am ok with that.

Here is the resurgence, here is the idea that I have realized that I need to grasp more than anything else in my training for the long haul. God needs to guide my thoughts, ideas and my life. As a youth leader, youth worker, youth pastor, I need to allow God to rule my life. God needs to be the focus and the result of anything that we do for these students. The fun events, the day trips, the missions trips, the speaking, the community groups, everything that circles what goes on in a ministry is needed, dont get me wrong those things are all important. But what above all else, those things need to focus on God. The events, programs, services, groups, video’s, whatever it is, they need to point towards God.

When I was taking Homiletics at LCU, I was blessed with Chuck Sackett as my professor. Although he is a scary man, and I will now never forget to not apologize in my sermon( you can ask about the story later), I will also remember this question: “So what?” This is the question that Chuck engrained in my mind, as well as I hope the rest of the students in the class. That so what question is huge in what we do in our ministry. It doesn’t just pertain to speaking or videos or lessons, it pertains to everything that we do in our ministry. So what you have the most students in your youth group. So what you can make the coolest videos. So what that you have the best speaker in all of the world. What are they doing for God? So what did God do for your ministry?

Here is my lesson and my resurgence. I am a very sensitive guy. Unfortunately. But what I have come to realize is that for me last, for me to be in youth ministry for the long haul, I need to let God rule my life.

John 15:4-8

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. IF you abide in me, and my words abide in you, as whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this my FATHER is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

We as youth pastors, as youth workers, as youth leaders, need to be dedicating our lives to gaining spiritual guidance. We need to invest some serious time in the Word and know that we cannot do anything without God in our lives. We need to live a life learning, fully devoted to God and creating disciples and not worrying about the discouraging things that WILL come our ways. We as youth workers, need to focus on letting God guide us, and letting God be the answer to the So What question.

Training for the long haul tip #1, give your lives a spiritual resurgence and give up your life to God. Let him guide your ministry, thoughts, events, program. God needs to be in everything you do or you will not last.