Go Deep In Your Youth Ministry Lessons

Have you ever felt like you were hitting a wall in your youth ministry? That maybe no one was listening or getting it, or at least not enough of the young people?In my last blog post I referred to the parable of the sower. The soil is unpredictable, but we remain faithful in 3 ways. Now, there is another aspect to this.

Not so long ago, I was privileged to encounter someone from my early youth ministry days. She spoke about how “rebellious” she’d been then and for a while after. But here’s the thing. She is now serving God ardently and speaks of the importance of what happened in that ministry. She told me that I made it fun and they realized it didn’t have to be boring. She also spoke of it as her foundation. The conversation was an eye-opener for me.

This parable is a good reminder of the need for grace and space. Some people come to faith later than we expect or desire. But they do come.

Let God show you how you are doing in this ministry, what you can do differently, and how you can improve. God sees what you cannot see, so let God lead you.Very importantly, however, go deep.Don’t settle for less than spiritual depth. Don’t compromise on teaching the faith. Don’t water down principles to make them more palatable. Jesus didn’t.

The impact may not be apparent immediately, but give them something and Someone to come back to again and again. That’s what we seek to do in youTheology, go deep. That’s also what we share with Believe Curriculum.,p>You’ve probably figured out that oftentimes in youth ministry, there are the enthusiastic ones who seem to get everything right and be into growing in Christ. There are also the noncommittal and the uncommited. There are those who are present only because . . . . The rebellious tend to come from this latter group.

Here’s something to thing about. Someone said to me a couple years ago: “I’m a pastor now. Can you imagine, me, a pastor?” He’d been one who was only there because . . . and openly doing his own thing. Like the son in the Scripture above, he changed his mind and began to do the will of God.

Can you imagine your young people loving and serving God now and in the future? Keep going deep.

Comment below and add your voice. How can you go deep in your youth ministry?
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