Puzzling the pieces of Youth Ministry

Here is part of an article I wrote for our church newsletter - just thought I'd share.....

“I can’t do it.” “It’s so big.” “There are so many white flowers.” “I finished a butterfly!” These were the thoughts my 7 y.o. son, Alexey, shared with me this morning as he started working on a new puzzle. Each sentence reminded me of thoughts that I have had this year as our youth ministry team has puzzled over the pieces needed to better minister to students.

“I can’t do it; It’s so big.” Weekly messages, lock-ins, retreats, calendar planning, finding volunteers, communicating with parents, casting a vision…..and then there are all those students! How do we set our priorities and what resources do we need to minister to students and their families?

“There are so many white flowers.” We have over 60 students – each a precious piece of our church family puzzle that we have been entrusted to nurture and love. Some regularly attend our programming, some don’t. How do we allow God to work through us to reach each student where they are – so that our picture is complete?

“I finished a butterfly.” Watching God transform lives, students claiming their faith in Jesus, sharing their hurts, reaching out to others, worshipping, praying …..Halleluiah! How do we create an even better environment for God to work through relationships that transform lives and then invite others into community with them?

Good questions and no simple answers.