After 1 Year As A Youth Pastor This Is What I Know

Part 1: I MUST BE A SHEPHERD THAT LIVES AMONG THE FLOCK

I recently went to a youth training seminar held by Barefoot Ministries at which Chris Folmsbee spoke on the roles that we play in the lives of students as youth leaders. He created a diagram of three circles that all intersected in the middle, which he called the sweet spot or a good balance between all the roles coming together. The three main roles in which we have are Advisor, Advocate, and Guide, but you can substitute another synonym for any words if you happen to like them better.

My point in all this is that those three main roles, I believe fall under the title of Shepherd. I as youth pastor must be a Shepherd to the youth in my ministry. I must give advice to the flock, I must advocate for the flock, and I must guide the flock. But to do this effectively I as a Shepherd must live among the flock.

Of course I am not saying that I need to be with students 24/7 because that would be unhealthy for both of us. But the relationship must transcend and be more than hanging out for 4 hours a week during Sunday School and Youth Group. I must be more than just being an acquaintance who teaches from the Bible twice a week. I must be in authentic relationships with students, by which we share our lives together, that can be defined as a healthy fellowship community.

Jesus is the great shepherd the best example of what it means to be one; he spoke in John 10:14 "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-" There is no way that I can know my students for who they truly are and have them know me, unless there is a deep meaningful relationship taking place. This can only be done if I am living among the flock under my care.

If I am not living among the flock, I will never know who is lost or who has wandered off the path. I will never be able to bandage those who are injured, or give strength to those that are weak. I won't be able to have compassion for those that are being harassed or might be helpless. I will not understand the idols that are deceiving my sheep and making them go astray. I won't be able to give food and drink to the ones in my flock that are hungry or thirsty. But most of all I will not be able to lead my sheep to Christ, who is the ultimate provider of all these things.

I still must remember that I am a sheep in the flock of Jesus, which is sharing a journey towards knowing and serving God with other sheep in His great flock, including my students. Not only am I a Shepherd for my students, but a sheep standing right next to them grazing in the Lord's plentiful pastures and receiving His awesome grace.

I am not going to sit here and explain different ways that I as a Shepherd live among my flock. For one I believe that every "Shepherd" posses skills and gifts that allow him to do this differently than the shepherd down the street. And secondly every "flock" or group is different and has special needs or ways that one can live among them. Instead pray and ask God to reveal how you can be or do this with the students in your ministry.

However I am saying that there is a major difference between a youth pastor that lives among his sheep as opposed to one who does not. I very much believe the one who lives among his flock, will have the more effective ministry. Be a sheep and a shepherd that listens to the voice of Christ, that knows him, and follow him.

What Do You Mean You're A Youth Pastor?

I wanted to start a series that shares the most important things I have learned in my first year as a full time youth pastor, since I am coming up on my anniversary October 12th. But first I wanted to explain what exactly a youth pastor is and or does with his or maybe hers (depending on your denomination) everyday life.

Ever since I started telling people that I was going to college to pursue a job in youth ministry I would always be looking into a very confused face. Or hear things like that "is that really a college degree or a career," or "you can get paid for that!" Or phrases like "Ok so you have an office at the church now what exactly do you with your time when your there?" "You get to take students to movies, amusement parks, sporting events, or to get food, and then sometimes the church pays for it!"

Usually the people that react in this way have no concept of church or a relationship with God, but I think even people in the church can sometimes underestimate or degrade the work of being a youth pastor. As if somehow our job is secondary to theirs and all we know how to do is play games and eat pizza. I believe that if this was the case and youth ministry was just all fun and games that you could buy a parent a $20 game book and have an effective outreach. Obviously taking away the need for a trained youth leader that understands how to reach youth culture.

For a long time I struggled when people would ask the question "What do you mean you’re a youth pastor?" Implying that they could not understand what exactly I did with my time or why it was necessary. Often I would just give them a simple answer like "I get to hang out with teenagers for a living" or explain that I am like a glorified Sunday school teacher. But deep down I knew that there was so much more to what we do as youth ministers, that I really did not even know where to start explaining.

I came across a small article in a youth magazine that was written by another youth pastor. The article had no introduction or ending, it was simply 1 Corinthians 13 reworded for youth pastors. When I read the article I not only came away with a better understanding of 1 Corinthians 13 but also had a better understanding of what I am called to do as a youth pastor. So I thought I would give it a try myself to help explain the question "What do you mean you’re a youth pastor?" Following is the passage I chose to represent that answer.

2 Corinthians 6:3-10 For Youth Pastors

We live in such a way that no student will stumble because of our actions or words, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God even if is just playing dodge ball.

We patiently endure a text message early in the morning or late a night, students living a double life, fast-food five times a week for the sake of our health, listening to a story because no one else will, along with other troubles, conflicts, and disappointments of every kind imaginable.

We have been beaten physically and emotionally, faced angry mobs of parents, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights and not just because of all-nighters, and gone without food to pray and fast for those in our ministry.

We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love for youth. We faithfully preach the truth. God's power is working in us. We use weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack against the enemy and the left for defense of ourselves, family and ministry. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us.

We are loved, but then we are hated. We are ignored by students, even though they know us well. We live incarnate in youth culture, but are still adults. We are always our self, but yet different for every student. We have been temporarily forgotten, but always remembered as someone that cared.

Our hearts ache for teenagers, but we always have joy. We are poor by choice but give spiritual riches to others. We don't own the houses we live in, we drive cars with high mileage, pay most of our salary to school loans, but yet we have everything.


Here is the link to the God inspired version of the passage.

2 Corinthians 6:3-10