Sometimes I miss Youth Ministry

Yesterday, I met with someone that Liberty supports through our Mission budget. Now, you'd think that after 5 months I'd have a hand on all of what we do, seeing as Missions was one of the four areas on my job description. But you'd be wrong. Anyway, we met with someone who's in Youth for Christ, downtown at this really neat ministry center. This center is in a rough neighborhood of Columbus. Not a lot of good outs for these kids. So, they've got a ministry to teen mothers, getting them to finish their education. They've got an auto mechanic shop where they teach kids to fix cars. There are other things they do but there was one statement made that totally hit home to me - when you work with adults, you can "give them Christ" and have them walking for years, but all of the sudden their lives fall apart because all of the social baggage they've accumulated and they're right back where they were, but if you get a kid, share Christ, keep them away from those things that can trap them, and you can be so much more effective.

I heard that because I've seen it. It was just another one of those moments I've experienced in the last four years or so that have reminded me of why I enjoyed Youth Ministry and that I do miss it. Whether or not I'll ever "go back" I don't know, but I will always have a place for it in my heart - and I'll never haze a youth pastor...