In the event you present up at my home on a Monday night time, you’ll discover three highschool women round my eating room desk, chatting about religion and school functions. Mentoring highschool college students is without doubt one of the many causes I like serving in youth ministry as a younger grownup. Nevertheless it’s a task I got here to hesitantly.

Regardless of my preliminary insecurities, I’ve come to see youth ministry is a good place for younger adults to serve the native church. Listed here are three the reason why.

1. Being younger has benefits.

God makes use of adults of all ages and experiences to put money into youngsters for his kingdom functions. As younger adults, we might imagine we don’t have sufficient knowledge and expertise to work with youth, however being younger affords us different benefits.

With a smaller age hole between us and our college students, we are able to simply relate to the ups and downs of life within the teen years. We’ve not too long ago walked via related conditions of friendship damage, confusion, and ache. We will relate to their sin struggles. We perceive the wrestling of their religion and the nervousness about their grades and profession path. We empathize with them as they await school choices. And we are able to have interaction with them in navigating the newest social media apps and know-how tendencies.

If we’re single, we even have the benefit of extra time and capability to disciple college students relationally that many married adults and adults with youngsters don’t have. The flexibleness of my present season allows me to pour into three highschool college students, not solely by main them in a discipleship group but additionally by checking on them repeatedly, assembly with them one-on-one, and being obtainable to them on weekdays and weekends. I’ve free time to satisfy for espresso or dinner and to help them by attending their college and sporting occasions.

The flexibleness of my present season allows me to pour into three highschool college students.

2. The Lord equips us.

I grew up in a non-Christian dwelling and was unchurched, so I had no non secular mentors to lean on. After changing into a believer in my early 20s, I used to be hesitant to serve in youth ministry. However the Lord used the insecurity I felt to gasoline my want to assist college students develop of their religion.

We don’t must have all of the solutions to care for college kids. Pointing them to Jesus is probably the most loving factor we are able to do. And as we try this, we are able to come alongside them and assist bear their burdens (Gal. 6:2). We will encourage them to attract close to to God (James 4:8). We will construct them up with affirming phrases after they’re going through discouragement (1 Thess. 5:11). We will remind them the Lord is close to and he binds up their wounds (Ps. 147:3).

However this isn’t performed in our personal energy. By finding out God’s Phrase and thru the time and prayer I’ve given to my college students, the Lord has outfitted me to minister to them. I depend on the Spirit’s steering daily to assist me on this work.

3. We discover pleasure in seeing God at work.

There’s an inclination in my technology to keep away from dedication and prioritize private success. Serving in youth ministry would possibly look like a hindrance to having fun with the liberty of our 20s. However as I’ve invested in my college students, the Lord has grown my religion—and my pleasure.

Over the previous few years, I’ve watched college students develop via the highs of camp experiences, retreats, and summer season missions journeys and thru the on a regular basis moments at Wednesday night time youth group and Sunday night time small teams. God is at work of their lives, and it’s a delight to witness.

I’ve watched them comply with the Lord by making use of the truths of Scripture and residing out their religion in school. I’ve seen them uncover God’s character in new methods via sermons and Bible research. I’ve witnessed the Lord’s work to resolve friendship conflicts and supply path. Not too long ago, I noticed a pupil give up her school dream to God’s higher plan for her at a unique college. As my college students mature of their religion, my pleasure deepens.

As my college students mature of their religion, my pleasure deepens.

Every of those examples jogs my memory of God’s goodness and mercy towards his youngsters. They remind me of the continuing technique of sanctification in my college students’ lives—and mine. By God’s grace, I’m rising in Christ alongside my college students. I like modeling the Christian life for them, albeit imperfectly, and serving because the mentor I want I’d had at their age. Caring for, discipling, and strolling alongside college students has turn into one in all my biggest joys.