Growing up in a small church in Alaska in the 1970s-’90s, I had no concept of youth ministry. My small church of 45 people was made up of families (mostly similar in age) doing the best they could to love the Lord, love others, and raise their children. I get what Jesus meant when he asked, “Who are my mother, brother and sisters?” We were family. We celebrated holidays, birthdays and graduations together. I can’t remember participating in a school football game, basketball game or band concert where two or three other families from church weren’t there to see me. We always gathered in someone’s home for Thanksgiving. One of the families hosted a Halloween party every year for us children. I remember sitting on a concrete floor in the dark passing paper sacks around with brains, eyeballs and other ghoulish things in them.
Every year at Christmas, there was a party for the children. We would make Christmas ornaments, eat cookies and play tag. I broke my arm jumping out of the back of a truck in fourth grade doing that.
I remember singing at a nursing home on a regular basis. The entire church would be a part of this – young and old alike.
The summer we entered 8th grade, one man at church would invite all of the boys on a backpacking trip. My very first backpacking trip was a four-night, 12-mile hike. There were eight of us boys from 13-18 years old and two adults. My best friend lost his glasses and spilled honey all over his pack that trip. We tried to catch fish with our bare hands. We ate bacon and drank sodas around a campfire. These trips became a rite of passage for the boys in our church.
I realized something recently. My little church was practicing youth ministry. When I look back at those years, I can see how a small group of people were investing in one another’s children. We basically did life together. We didn’t have a designated youth minister, but we did have a few people who took it upon themselves to lead the way. They worked hard to find time for us and loved us like we were their own children. They organized classes, planned parties, took us skiing and to church camp. Youth ministry was happening. We weren’t simply one church doing everything together. We weren’t completely isolated by age. We were just 12-15 families working together to do the best we could to teach children to love the Lord and follow Jesus.
I’m in youth ministry because of the church I grew up in. I’m in youth ministry because I was deeply influenced by other adults who loved me enough to lead me to Christ and walk with me through my childhood. I’m in youth ministry because I want students to choose to follow Jesus.
I believe in youth ministry because I’ve seen the power and influence it can be in the life of young people in leading them to Christ and setting them on a lifelong journey following Jesus.
How have you seen youth ministry succeed? What stories do you have?
Even though I grew up at a church bigger than 45 we were still small compared to other churches. I definitely relate to that feeling of family that only amplified when I got into the youth group. Having moved several times in my adult years I’ve always tried to capture that same feeling of family wherever we’ve gone. I especially want my daughter to have that experience as she gets older knowing there are others beyond her actual family that she can count on to be “family.”