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My wife asked me why I'm starting a youth ministry blog.  My answer... "What else am I going to do?"  I've recently been released from a church so I may not be the most qualified to write about youth ministry, on the other hand, I do have a lot of extra time on my hands  

Perhaps in a later post I'll talk more about the details of my departure, but first I'll write about something I'm very passionate about.  The call to youth ministry.  Why does anyone become a youth pastor?  When most of the world seems to want to wash its hands of teenagers and their messiness (and drama and language and fashion and music, etc...) people like me want to walk right in their path and share the love of Christ.  Are you like me?  Do you have a great desire to see young people fall passionately in love with Christ?  Do you refuse to see young people as the church of tomorrow because they are part of the church today?  Do you refuse to write off a young person no matter what they've done, where they come from or what they look like?  Join the club, it's small but prestigious!

So what does it take to be good youth pastor?  This is by no means an exhaustive list but here's a few things that you're going to need.

1. A Love for God and a Love for Students
As my wife said when I considered the "promotion" to being a senior or teaching pastor and leave youth ministry, unlike about 95% of the population I see the potential in teenagers.  I dream for them bigger dreams than they dare dream for themselves.  I have a deep desire to see them use their God-given gifts and talents to glorify Him. 

2. A Deep Sense of Calling to Work with Students
I've known people who go into youth ministry who admitted a large part of their reasoning was because they didn't know what else to do.  Can I just say I don't believe youth ministry is a stepping stone to becoming a senior (or "real") pastor?  It's not something to do because it seems like a cool job or you had a cool youth pastor.  It's not even something to do if you like students.  We are dealing with young people who are figuring out who they are and we have the opportunity to help that identity be shaped by God. It's not babysitting -this is fun but serious business.  Back in Bible college I had a fellow student exclaim something like, "61%!  Yes!  I passed!"  Our professor got quite upset and asked how that student would feel if they were about to have major surgery and their surgeon proudly exclaimed, "I got 61% in anatomy class!  I barely passed med school, but I passed!"  And doctors only deal with mortal bodies.

3. Adaptability
If there is one constant in working with students it's change.  The message stays the same, the need for acceptance, belonging and care stays the same, but so much changes.  The methods of delivery, the needs of students, their home lives, their tastes, group dynamics, schedules and just about everything else is in a constant state of change.  You need to be able to roll with everything that comes and be ok with your plans being written in pencil.  There is a delicate balance between being able to plan and build in structure and discipline but being comfortable with adapting the plan, continue moving forward when your structure changes or stops being effective and using grace within discipline.

As I said, this is not an exhaustive list, there are so many other qualities that come into making a great youth pastor, perhaps a part two to this post, we'll see...  So what was your call to youth ministry?  What would you add to my list?  I'd love to hear your ideas so comment!

God Bless, Josh

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