If you’re new to youth ministry, don’t worry. Take a breath. I have some good news.
It’s not that complex. Many want to make it complex, but it’s not.
Jesus is the point. He always has been and always will be.
Care for the youth and their families you’ve been placed in a position to care for and bring them Jesus.
For many years, and still today, youth are often talked about as a different kind of creature in this universe. That’s not the case. Caring for God’s people may look a little different depending on their season of life but our mission to bring the whole counsel of God to His people through Christ is always the same.
As God’s people our greatest need is for the reception of God’s gifts. He serves us and we praise His name for those gifts of forgiveness and peace. Gathering families for the Divine Service where Christ comes to us is always the main objective of Christ’s church.
If you want to plan fun events and organize stuff for the youth of your congregation, that’s great. Every congregation is going to be in a different place for what those events look like, who organizes them, and so on. But don’t get caught up in all of the planning and such that you lose sight of the point. Keep your eyes on Jesus and bring Jesus to the youth and their families.
There are a variety of books you can get about youth ministry (Connected For Life) and event planning in youth ministry (Youth Ministry Management Tools), and there are books like Getting Things Done by David Allen all about organizing your life so that you can better serve people around you. Those things are good and helpful, but always be in the Word yourself. Find your peace in Christ so that you can bring Him to others. Take a look at the resources page for some good sites with Bible Studies and other materials for yourself and those for whom you’re caring.
Hopefully this blog category will get filled with more content as time goes on, but this is at least a start.
The peace of Christ be with you always!
SID LCMS Youth 