I feel blessed to be called a “churched kid”. Growing up in the church never seemed odd or weird to me, it seemed like the norm. My church was my family and some of my greatest memories from growing up took place with that family.

My dad is an overgrown teenager, also known as a youth minister, so I grew up in the youth group. From as early as I can remember our house has had an “open door” policy to hundreds of students which is a really cool concept when you’re eight but what I didn’t realize then was how this would shape my life. I grew up watching the lives of students drastically change right before my eyes because a couple of adults took time out of their busy lives to spend time with them and to pour the gospel into them. I was amazed by the impact that one person can have in someone’s life.

As I got older and became an actual student in the youth group I continued to see the amazing ways that the Lord could use His people to change lives, mine being included. I was able to see what it means to minister to the non “churched kids” outside the safety walls of our church. I learned from my dad and countless other fearless adults as they put their pride aside to have lunch with high school students who couldn’t care less about what the bible says. Those students had no concept of what your “Sunday best” meant yet it didn’t matter because they needed Jesus too. I was able to see what it means to minister to students who come to church day in and day out and never really own up to their faith. I was one of those students. Yet the Lord continued to teach me of his miraculous life-changing ways through adults who took me in and, just like my own parents did with others, poured the gospel into me.

As the Lord grew me, broke me, built me, and broke me again my heart was broken for students who were just like me, who had become complacent in their faith. As I slowly learned what it meant to love others with the same love that Christ showed me I realized what it is exactly that I’m supposed to be doing. That is why when I graduated high school and moved on to college I asked my dad if I could work with him as an intern; I needed to be around those students.

My students mean everything to me; they are my heart beat as I go throughout life. Just as much as they may think they have learned from me, I have learned 10 times more from them. My heart aches with passion for my high school girls. My life was so drastically changed through high school because of a couple of Godly women who saw me as worthy of their time and I hope and pray that God uses me in similar ways.

I believe in the power of the Gospel, I believe in mentoring students, and I believe in my faith family, all of which were reasons for me to invest into a ministry that made such an amazing investment in my life. I feel like it’s a cycle that I am honored and blessed to have been a part of.

Emily Lenart is a college student that loves sharing her time with students in her youth group.

Recruiting new volunteers is one of the last things you should focus on. God will bring you who you need if you keep your eyes and ears open. The trick is keeping quality leaders around long enough to make an impact. Between my wife and myself, we have over 30 years of experience as volunteer youth leaders, and we have no plans to slow down. One of the keys to our longevity is the extraordinary care we’ve received throughout our “volunteer careers” from the paid-to-be-gooders (i.e. full time staff/pastors). As we thought through the things that have nourished us the most as volunteers over the years, we saw three clear categories emerge. If you will consider these as you lead your team, we think you will see some amazing things happen in your ministry.

Care For Us

• Know us. Pay attention to what makes us thrive and what drives us crazy (and be ready to step in before that happens). We love it when you give us our favorite candy or soda, or a gift card to our favorite restaurant.
• Don’t expect us to be at every event. There are definitely opportunities that are higher leverage; expect us to be at each of them if at all possible (camp, mission trip, retreats, specific major events). We are busy – we have to work in the real world, remember? If none of the students that we are seeking to connect with are even coming to a relatively minor event outside of weekly programs, it is actually a waste of time to participate only as a warm adult body.
• Give us a sabbatical. Even a one-week break now and then can be refreshing. I’m not talking about holidays or dates when there is no programming, when we’re traveling, or otherwise cannot be there. We have enjoyed several times taking a Sunday to visit another church and ministry, just to see how they do things. We’ve returned with some very valuable feedback. Be secure enough in our commitment that you don’t fear we’ll bolt for greener pastures.

Value Us

• We are real youth workers. The mere fact that we aren’t paid in our roles means little when biblically, we are pastors over the handful of students we are allowed to care for. Do as much as you can to equalize the perceived value of volunteers and paid staff. Our roles are different, but neither of us can do what we do without the other.
• Listen to us. We’re on the front lines, and we see and hear things that you may not even be aware of. Don’t dismiss our concerns, but also help us remember that it’s your job to keep the big picture in mind.

Invest In Us

• Lead us more than you lead the kids. If you think you’re the only one who can do ministry, that’s likely how you’ll end up. Equip us. Train us. Pour yourself into us, so that we can pour ourselves into far more kids than you could ever reach alone.
• Help us leverage our time. Because you can see the big picture and we’re in the trenches, you may need to step in and guide us in connecting with those students that most need us. If we don’t get this guidance from you, there may be some especially winsome – or needy – kids who get attention from every leader, while others quietly slip through the cracks.
• Don’t let us be lunch ladies. We like each other, and we like hanging out and enjoying each others’ company. The trouble comes when the only time we get to see each other is when students are supposed to be our focus. Give us separate opportunities to hang out intentionally with other adults, but make us talk with the kids and avoid clumping up in the back like chaperones.

A final word: It’s hard to imagine the team I’m on having so many long-lived volunteers if we experienced the stereotypical high turnover of youth pastors. If you won’t be around long, don’t expect your volunteers to be, either.

Andrew Burden is the tallest 6^th grader you’d ever meet. A teacher by day, he has volunteered in middle school ministry for 19 years, and specializes in welcoming incoming 6^th graders to the youth ministry at Christ Community Church in suburban Kansas City. Andrew blogs at http://thisisnotabout.me, and Tweets the spectrum of silly to profound on @andrewburden.

Mark is a high school student in our church that I meet with every other week for Bible study.  One day, our conversation turned to world religions and how Christianity—with its insistence that we can’t earn our salvation—is different from other religions.  Suddenly, he became a lot more interested in the conversation.  He asked, “How we can know that what we believe as Christians is really true?”  Mark has a growing relationship with Jesus, but he is hungry to go deeper and know some of the reasons behind why we believe what we believe.

Mark is not alone.  The students we lead are hungry to go deeper.

Unfortunately, we look out at our group of middle school or high school students—distracted by texting, their iPods, and the opposite sex—and conclude that they’re just not ready for real meat yet.

But they are ready.  They are hungry to learn about Jesus.  They are hungry to know theology.  They are hungry to know how to logically defend their Christian faith as truth.  They want to believe in something they can count on, and they are prepared to examine the claims of Jesus, understand what they believe, and know that it’s true.

Our primary role as youth leaders is to help students become faithful disciples of Jesus.  The Greek word for “disciple” is mathetes—the same word used for Jesus’ original followers.  Literally, a mathetes is a learner.  Those who followed Jesus while he was on this earth learned from him.  And Jesus taught his followers tough stuff.  Certainly following Jesus doesn’t just happen in the head, and faith isn’t learned only from books.  However, our students are facing tough life situations that raise tough questions about their faith, and they are looking for good answers to those questions.

We have set the bar too low for teenagers when it comes to learning.  We assume that most students don’t want to dig into tough or deep topics, and so the discipleship of our students remains shallow.  Sure, it’s a daunting task to really dig into topics like theology or apologetics (the rational and systematic defending of Christianity as a worldview) in a large group setting or while leading a small group of distracted teenagers.  However, students usually respond well when given the opportunity to dive into some meatier topics, and they usually end up asking for more.  A leader in our youth ministry started an inductive Bible study for students two years ago, and the fifteen or so students that have been attending can’t wait to dig in to the Bible each week.  Not every student will want to put the effort into this type of study, but in general, students are far more capable of growing intellectually when it comes to their faith than we give them credit for.

So how do we start leading students down this road of “deep discipleship”?

Be a learner.  We cannot teach what we do not know.  It would be unwise to teach a four-week series on apologetics if you haven’t ever studied apologetics yourself.  The discipleship of our students will be shallow if our own discipleship is shallow.  Model deep discipleship in your own life.  Not only will it enrich your walk with Jesus, but the teenagers you serve will pick up on it and follow your example.

Stretch your students. Imagine yourself throwing balls to the teenagers you work with.  Your goal should be to throw the ball just above their heads so that they can still grab it, but it takes a little effort for them to reach it.  In the gospels, Jesus does this all the time.  After he tells the parable of the sower in Mark chapter 13, Jesus’ disciples come to him and ask, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” or put another way, “Why are you making this so hard?”  Tough topics take some time to percolate, and not every student will grasp everything right away.  That’s okay.  Real learning happens when students are stretched a little bit, and in the long run, it will give them confidence to continue to go deeper in their walk in Jesus.

Make it applicable. Most importantly, deep discipleship—whether it’s really digging into God’s Word, studying apologetics, or even church history—should not just be an academic exercise.  Deep discipleship is about knowing God in a more intimate way and having confidence that what we believe is true.  If students can’t make a connection between what they are learning in church or in their small groups and their everyday lives, it won’t help them know Jesus in a more intimate way—which, by the way, is why we as youth leaders do what we do.

Benjer McVeigh serves as a pastor to students (grades 9-12) at Washington Heights Church in Ogden, Utah.  He resides there with his wife, Jennifer, and his two daughters, Bethany and Samantha.  He shares his occasional thoughts on Jesus and teenagers at www.benjermcveigh.com.

Need a launching pad to get you going in the right direction?  Check out these resources:

Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul by J.P. Moreland (NavPress, 1997): A challenging book on the role of the mind in Christianity.

studentlifebiblestudy: Yes, shameless self-promotion, but still a valuable resource.

bethinking.org: Contains several resources on apologetics and is a great place to point students to as well as find ideas and helps for teaching.

Worldview Academy (www.worldview.org): Worldview Academy’s Leadership Camps are week-long events around the country that guide students in apologetics, evangelism, comparative worldviews, and servant, Christ-centered leadership.

Last year around this time, I woke up in a cabin in the woods. My morning routine was absolutely decimated by my remote location. I picked up my laptop to check the news, only to realize I had no WiFi. I pulled my iPhone from my pocket only to discover that this particular spot wasn’t on that AT&T map. What followed would probably have looked hilarious to any casual observer, as I spent a few hours pacing the room in 15 minute intervals. 15 minutes with my Bible, then 15 minutes with a book by Rob Bell. 15 minutes in my prayer journal, then 15 minutes with a book by Thomas Merton. I even took a couple of laps around the outside of the cabin, just to stretch my legs.

And the funniest part of all this torture was that I chose to do it to myself.

I had heard several friends and coworkers tell me that silent prayer retreats were an excellent spiritual exercise for them, and that it helped them clear the fog. After a tumultuous confirmation class (can I get a “what what” from my Presbyterian Brethren?), I knew that I needed it. I wouldn’t say I was burned out, but it was clear that the many distractions in my life were holding a match to the grill and licking their lips.

After a little while, as I settled into my solitude, I finally felt a bit more in touch with Christ. When I let myself be still, and let my distractions fade away, there was nothing left but the loving embrace of my dear Savior. I didn’t ask him for things. I didn’t beg him for a raise. I didn’t wish that my kids were easier to handle, I just sat and listened to what he had to say to me.

And I can assure you of this: If I hadn’t I doubt I’d still be in youth ministry.

I read a while ago that the average lifespan of a youth worker in a church is 18 months. That is a painfully short period of time to hope to affect any kind of change in the lives of our students. I don’t know why burnout happens for us, probably because it’s different for everybody. Maybe you have a parent who has your phone on speed dial to complain about the trip you took last weekend. Maybe your senior pastor just doesn’t see your ministry the same way you do. Maybe you’re struggling with balancing your ministry and your family life. But sooner or later these troubles will turn into catastrophes, and we find ourselves searching the want ads for a job as far away from the church as we can get.

My humble suggestion (I am in no way a professional!) to you is to take some time away and enjoy a silent retreat. Most of the camps in my area will offer church workers a free night or two in one of their cabins for just such an occasion, and I’m sure they would in your area too. Take a few of those books on your shelf you’ve been “reading” for the last six years. Bring along a journal to document this time with God and what he’s saying to you. And of course carry your Bible.

But there are some things you shouldn’t bring. Don’t bring your phone, unless of course you are staying in a place with a high risk of bear attack. Don’t bring your iPod or iPad or iPhone, or any other kind of music media device. Don’t bring the thoughts and plans and ideas you have for your ministry, this isn’t about work it’s about you.

The hardest part is going to be the first hour or so. The point of a silent retreat for me is to listen to what God’s been trying to say to us through the chaos of our youth ministry jobs, to truly hear the voice of the Divine. It’s ok to pour out  your prayers to God if you’re in the middle of a particularly tough time, but make sure at the end of it to sit and to listen. We spend a lot of time speaking on his behalf, we need to make sure we give him time to speak to us.

And of course bring coffee. That’s never forbidden.

Jason Freyer is a youth worker and worship leader from Westminster Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh Pa. When he’s not working there, he’s probably playing with his band Tree Anthem (www.treeanthem.com) or hanging out with his super awesome wife and their two dogs. He’s also a big fan of shamelessly self-promoting his blog (http://psychoyouthmin.blogspot.com) and his twitter account (www.twitter.com/freyer28). He loves Jesus.

In 2009, I registered our students for Student Life Missions Camp without knowing what to expect. We attended the camp at Cedarville University in Ohio with only eleven students (mostly girls) and three chaperones. I had ranked elderly ministry as our top choice of mission projects due to several things that kept us from serving in the other areas offered. Our group was presented with the task of serving in an Alzheimer’s home in the area, and I began to pray about how God would use our students in this opportunity. What I did not expect is how much our students would come to embrace these individuals and grow to love them in a way I have never seen in today’s teenagers.

The first day we arrived at the home, our students were scared to even walk in the door. No one knew what to expect as we headed into the facility and began to see the residents. The faces of our students showed amazement and fear. My chaperones and I began to encourage and motivate the students to step out of their comfort zone and walk into the main meeting room of the residents. It was extremely tough to get them to take the initiative and sit down at a table with someone they did not know and strike up a conversation. What made it more difficult was that the person whom they were talking to would not remember them by the next day, maybe even hour. Our students began to color pictures, make crafts, play games, and listen to the old stories. There were smiles and laughter coming from all parts of the room. We left that first day with a more positive attitude about what we were doing.

The next few days were even better. Our students did not need to be forced to enter because they were throwing elbows and pushing each other out of the way to get inside. Our students knew these people would not remember them once they were gone, but they continued to spend time and have fun with them. I was so proud of my group: they showed the love of Christ. We left that week with students in tears because they would never see these individuals again, and they would not even be remembered for being there. It was truly a movement of God to see the attitudes of our students change that week. Our students had gained a great love and compassion for the people who suffer from Alzheimer’s.

Our students were so moved by what happened that week that they wanted to do the same thing when they got home. While we rode in the van, we brainstormed ideas of accomplishing this with our entire youth group. As we told our story back at home, the students that weren’t able to come to camp started to catch the vision as well. I called several Alzheimer’s homes in our city and found one that was a perfect fit for what we wanted to do.

We began to go to this Alzheimer’s home once a month and do the same things we had done at camp. We arrive with craft ideas, games, and a van or two full of youth. The residents at the home are so excited to see the young people when we arrive. People with Alzheimer’s are often overlooked because they don’t recognize or remember what is going on. It breaks my heart that even some of the families of these people ignore them. All these people want is attention and love that my students are willing to give. We all need to take every chance we can to share the love and joy God has given us with others, whether they are able to remember you or not!

This article appeared in YouthMinister e-magazine in 2010.

Scott Huff has a calling on his life to minister to students on a full-time basis. He believes the Lord’s desire for his life is to reach the students of this generation with the Gospel and to present God’s truth in a way that will encourage them to glorify God in their daily lives. A speaker for youth groups of all ages, Scott graduated from Hannibal LaGrange College in Hannibal, Missouri in 2004. He went on to graduate with a Masters of Divinity from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky in 2007. He still resides there with his wife, Lori, where he is the Associate Pastor of Youth and Education at Broadway Baptist Church.

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Scott’s Blog: scotthuffblog.blogspot.com
Scott’s Website: broadwaystudents.com