the    sides

Had a seminary student call me today to interview me for their youth ministry class. Allison is a first year student at Denver Seminary. She spent two years as a missionary in Budapest, Hungary teaching in a school, an Aggie, knows my fam in Budapest, and is single but looking. (You can thank me later, Allison.)

Thought I put the ramblings up here because I honestly think the interview was more helpful to me than to here.

Why youth?

Why not? I mean, if you have no marketable skills doing anything else – might as well be youth!

Seriously, there’s a couple of pieces to this answer. When I first started doing this, it was common practice to put the wild, crazy pastor in youth because that’s where he/she best fits as well as it’s the place where they can do the least damage. Youth ministry was a place where you served until you grew up to be a “real” pastor – whatever the heck that is.

I think that’s changed for the most part now.

There’s also a “professional” answer to this. The teen years are the most critical ages in which people make decisions, they are open to the Gospel, they aren’t jaded yet, they don’t know what they can’t do. It’s a time of incredible openness and opportunity. While all of that is true, that doesn’t necessarily mean just anyone should get into student ministry.

That’s where the “personal” side for me kicks in – I just love teenagers. I love hanging out with them, playing Xbox, going to games, staying up late, watching movies, seeing God change them and me, watching them impact their campus and friends with Jesus. Some will label that as “calling” and to a larger extent, I’d agree with that.

What keeps you going on days you don’t want to keep going?

You know, as bad as this sounds I honestly wish every person in ministry has a complete train wreck experience. Not a moral failure wreck but a “everything I am trying is a complete failure” kind of experience. Because it’s in those moments where you wrestle with your motives and calling and gifting. Even though that can be extremely painful and heartwrenching, I think it’s necessary and better for all involved.

For me, two things happened in the “wreck.” My calling was confirmed despite my complete lack of fit in the context and my complete disconnect philosophically of where I was serving. Here’s the odd thing – it was confirmed by both people outside and inside the wreck, by people who both agreed with me and disagreed with me.

“Calling” is one of those half-mystic, half-community thing. Do you know that you know that you’re supposed to be doing this? Have others around you confirmed you? But it’s so necessary because if this isn’t your calling – you are going to get devoured. You may get devoured anyway, but it won’t be fatal if your calling is secure.

Every person I have a hand in hiring now, I ask the same question – what would you be doing if money were no object? Whatever that answer is – I’m guessing that’s both your calling and passion. And if it isn’t this [student ministry, or ministry in general], I’m not quite sure you ought to be in ministry.

The second thing that I’d add but it’s honestly the most important piece of this puzzle is my personal relationship with Jesus. Quite honestly it is the most neglected relationship in the lives of most pastors. We just get to busy and distracted.

But those two things – they aren’t determined by my job title or who writes my checks. I could work for UPS and still be in the center of God’s will – discipling leaders and loving Jesus. These two things can’t be touched by anyone else. No human has any power or control over those things.

And that’s the growing up I had to do. Anything else you have as a motivator for ministry that can be removed or manipulated – it will be. It’s going to get tested. It ought to be tested.

What’s the best part of your job?

Getting to play Xbox and call it cultural research.

That’s half a honest answer. It is one of the coolest parts of my job – getting to play and hang with teens. But THE BEST part of my job is watching God take a snotty, arrogant, indecisive, insecure, nerdy middle school girl or boy and then place her in a closed country as a missionary for His glory 7 years later, watch him start and lead a homeless ministry that changes a church and a city. Being in their lives for years and watching the transformation both in them and in me. Watching our relationships morph from authority figure to leader to co-sojourner with Christ.