Not long ago, I was prepping our youth building for our midweek service. When you do ministry, you get used to picking up skittles, sour patch kids, and any other random piece of candy you might sell in your cafe. It comes with the territory.
And I’m not complaining. I just have a tendency to try to systematize everything; for instance, I always find myself thinking, “There’s got to be a way to do youth ministry without students leaving their trash all over the floor.”
Right. Keep dreamin’, buddy.
But that’s not why I’m writing. I was recently talking with some youth pastors about the grunt work that is associated with youth ministry. Certainly, there are lots of fun elements to serving. But there are those times that you end up picking up a used bandaid, while cleaning the youth room. Cue the gag reflex.
And it’s not just what we pick up is it? It’s the hard conversations we have with parents/volunteers. It’s the times that we go to bat for them to have a place to meet. It’s when we fill out budgeting paperwork, so they’ll have the resources they deserve. It’s when youth ministry gets messy. We do it…for them!
“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.”
Proverbs 14:4
We clean up skittles…for them!
We pick up bandaids…for them!
We deal with bureaucracy…for them!
We work hard…for them!
Our students are why we are in this! And they’re absolutely worth it! For God’s glory, we serve teenagers with the Word. And that comes with late night phone calls, weekend retreats, paperwork, and, if your lucky enough, a couple angry parents.
It’s Pastor Appreciation Month. So this post goes out to all the youth pastors out there that love students that don’t reciprocate. I want to show honor to all you youth pastors who are struggling. Some of you have less than perfect situations, yet you stay in the trenches with your kids. I’m thankful for you, because the work you do is the most important work that can be done on this planet (I’m slightly biased)!
Your impact is an eternal one! And that’s why we dig Skittles out of the carpet!