10 Things I've Learned From 10 Years In Ministry - Part 3



A few weeks ago, I celebrated 10 years of student ministry at my current Church. Spending 10 years in one spot brings a certain perspective to life and ministry. Over the next few days, I want to share 10 lessons I've learned.

If I could go back to my younger self, 10 years ago, here are some of the things I would tell myself:

3. Students need to be given something to do

 Many times I think we fail the people we minister to because we give them too much information and not enough application.

For many, when they think of discipleship, they think of a classroom. But this isn't the way Jesus interacted with or taught his disciples. He took his disciples with Him to actually do ministry and taught on the job. What if the way we have been doing discipleship is actually keeping us from making disciples? I'm not arguing we should do away with classes completely, but if our discipleship strategy doesn't give students something to do with what they've learned, we've missed the point. Many of our "church kids" know what they should be doing but are failing to do it. Maybe some of this failure is because we've failed to empower them to do something with what they are learning. High school, Middle school, and even many elementary-age students are fully capable of engaging in ministry within our churches. So turn your students loose. Empower them. Let them lead.  Help them when they fail. Teach them by doing. Give them something to do with their faith and watch the Holy Spirit work powerfully in their lives. I'm doing what I do today because someone took a chance on an awkward middle schooler. The lessons I learned while leading and ministering during high school and middle school are still with me today.

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