My History of Youth Ministry #6

one, two, three, four, and five are all here.

This is the final installment of this series, I wanted to get this all out of the way before I begin blogging about different topics.  I hope that you have found this to be interesting.  I obviously have left lots out, and often after writing a post I think “I should have said this.” but I have resisted the urge to make my posts any longer.  I have the tendency to rattle on as it is.

It with great excitement that we moved across the state to begin our life and ministry as the student ministry director of John Knox Presbyterian.  Before we said yes to the call, we really needed to discern whether we wanted to be on staff with Tobin again, if that was just a comfort place for me or really God’s call.  We also had to deal with whether we wanted to make a church called John Knox our home.  I am thankful  that the staff of John Knox was honest about where they were, what their struggles were and most importantly where they were headed.  After much prayer and council, we discerned that God was indeed calling us to be part of JK.

We arrived at John Knox, with a great sense of hope.  I had learned a lot about ministry and was going to need all of it.  Looking back, it is pretty funny how things didn’t exactly work like I thought they were going to.  JK’s youth ministry had a history of being a nice ministry for church kids.  This is not where my heart was.  I was brought in to help change the culture of the ministry.  It was pretty inwardly focused.  I wanted it to be more missional, more outward focused.  I thought that was going to be my first task.  I thought it would take a while…here is what happened:

1. I arrive June 1, on June 14 or so, I lead a mission trip with students I barely know.  It was all set up for me, and was hands down the worst mission trip I had ever been on.  I meet students and learn their stories.  I learn that students distrust me right off the bat.  There was a few years with lots of turn over.  I recognize it is an uphill battle
2. I spend the summer getting to know students, recruiting leaders, praying and trying to implement the plan, which was to focus on the core students, cast a vision for them reaching their friends.  We were going to go deep and spread out from there.  We would worship, teach and have small groups.  I figured it would take some time, we would have to be strategic.
3. The first night of ministry in the fall, I had no idea what to expect.  about 50-60 students show up, and we are set up for investing in our core.  I made the decision to go with it as planned.  I thought this will be the last I see most of these students.
4. To my surprise, they come back and keep coming back.  We don’t change our plan.  We still go deep, we still worship, we still have small groups.
5. Ministry happens, and students meet Christ and we rejoice
6. Students don’t meet Christ, and we feel sorrow, but love them always.

There has been so much that has happened in the past nine years here.  I have struggled with program models of ministry.  I have struggled with how to make disciples in this age.  I have learned that that is so much value in sticking with one place and seeing it through ups and downs.  I have learned the value of having students serve, go on mission trips to the same place each year.  I have learned that my leaders are great, some of them have been with me since the beginning.  I have learned that we face big challenges ahead, and we have to hold loosely to everything but Jesus, that everything is on the table.  You would think that after 18 years of ministry, I would have more answers than questions.   I guess the old adage is true, “the more you know, the less you know.”

This post doesn’t really do my time here justice.  I am just afraid if I start, this series will go on and on.  Suffice it to say, I am astounded by God’s goodness and grace in this ministry and in my life.