Jump directly to the Content

FIVE MYTHS OF YOUTH MINISTRY

Work with young people doesn't always go by the book.

There is a picture hanging in my office at Trinity Seminary that I have somewhat jokingly labeled "The Death of a Youth Minister." The picture shows me during a youth group backpacking trip to Colorado, lying spread-eagle on the ground, totally exhausted.

A few of the kids were tired that day and were moaning and complaining, so I had agreed to carry some of their gear. That day of lugging what felt like a gargantuan pack up the side of Mt. Blanca-while the kids kept on grumbling-forever pictures for me the frustrations and the sweat that can come with youth ministry. When I later left the church, the glass over the picture cracked in the move. I decided to leave it that way. It seemed appropriate.

Now that's not the only picture-or memory-I have of my decade and a half in youth ministry. So much of it was happy. They were great years, marvelous years of ministry. I think of special people, of encouragement. I love young people and consider ministering to them a privilege, which is why I ...

March
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
The Day Rev. Henderson Bumped His Head
The Day Rev. Henderson Bumped His Head
A parable of church life. Honestly.
From the Magazine
Empty Streets to the Empty Grave
Empty Streets to the Empty Grave
While reporting in Israel, photographer Michael Winters captures an unusually vacant experience at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close