In one sense, what
we do as youth ministers is unique in the world of church ministry. Our job definitely includes some of the
most fun - and perhaps, also, the most heartbreak.
But in another
sense, our calling isn’t intrinsically different than that of any other
minister. We are all called to
shepherd the flock...it’s just that our flock is going through puberty and will
eventually leave the confines of our specified fold when they graduate from
junior high or senior high.
And perhaps it’s
stating the obvious, but whatever our age, what all sheep need most is to be
pointed to their True Shepherd, Christ Jesus the Lord. He is the one in whom we are filled,
and he’s the one in whom the fullness of God is found (Col 2:9-10).
Not surprisingly
then, according to Paul’s plea in Colossians 2:6-7, all Christians are called
to “walk in [Jesus], rooted and built up in him and established in the faith,
just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
The the assumption
Paul makes in this verse is that all Christians
are being taught to walk in Jesus.
The means by which we do this with the youth (as others have writtenmore extensively about, such as Brian Cosby) are nothing less than the means God gave all Christians:
Scripture, true Christian fellowship, the sacraments, and prayer.
By faith the Spirit
uses these means to graciously expose our sin, confirm our dependence on Jesus,
and to remind us of our hope in forgiveness, redemption, and new creation. Continue at Mark Howard
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