Here We Go Again
Well, we made it. At long last, the reality that every youth minister simultaneously longs for and secretly dreads has manifested again. It’s summertime.
If this is anything like the summers I have spent in youth ministry before, it’s going to be a long two and a half months. There will be a lot of early mornings and late nights. There will be a lot of hard conversations, some because they are very deep and challenging and some because they are about subjects that are difficult to discuss. There will be a lot of hard work that is both physically and mentally strenuous, on top of the hard work that is done throughout the year. At the end of it all, I and the many parents and chaperones who help me will probably be dead tired and ready to crawl under a rock until about October.
I couldn’t be more excited.
Those early mornings and late nights will be spent getting kids to and from Christian camps, preparing for and conducting Bible studies, praying and praising God together, and making plans for congregational events that serve as opportunities for both evangelism and edification for us all. Those hard conversations will have the benefit of strengthening our bonds as a church family, and hopefully helping young people to grow in their faith and their ability to tackle real life as faithful disciples of Christ. That extra hard work being done will result in many people hearing the Gospel for the first or the five hundredth time and being given a chance to respond to it, as well as many physical needs being provided for in special ways by a special group of kids. Those parents and chaperones who are tapped out by the end of the summer will have an incredible impact on the lives of our young people, and their examples of helpfulness and dedication will continue to inspire that same helpfulness and dedication in ways that they
may never realize.
Spending a summer with the youth group is definitely a task that requires endurance. Spending a summer with the youth group might also be the best version of being a member of Christ’s church that I have ever experienced. In a way that is usually only true for this chunk of the year, the work of the church is genuinely the focus of daily life. Evangelism, benevolence, deep Bible study, and experiencing the joy of living life as Christians together are what the summer is all about. Imagine what we could do if these things were our focus all year long!
If you’re a youth minister, create as many opportunities for growth this summer as you can, and take heart in knowing that your work is worth it. If you’re a member of a youth group, spend your summer asking hard questions and looking for opportunities to serve others, and know that the growth you will experience by doing so is worth it. If you’re a parent or other adult in your congregation, jump at any chance to interact with your congregation’s youth group (or any local youth group) and help it succeed, and know that the example you set for the future of the church is worth it. Finally, regardless of who you are, don’t let this energy and focus end in August! Keep seeking to be the best version of the church all year long, and know that the glory you bring to God as His people is worth it.
“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” ~ Psalm 118:24
AUTHOR: Luke Tatum