I posted this youth ministry experience the other day, see if you can relate,
Youth Ministry is…attending a dance recital where you watch 29 other dance routines before the one your student is in.
and it got over 100 likes and over 70 comments. I asked others to share what youth ministry is to them. Here are the best responses,
Youth Ministry is…
👉 Telling them how proud you are of them for their hard work in a science fair after only receiving a participation ribbon. I walked around the room and had every kid explain to me their science experiments and found ways to illustrate Bible principles.
👉Attending every event possible for your students simply to find you have a collection of awkward moments where they are amazed you showed up to see them.
👉Sitting through 3 college graduations and and 9 high school graduations.
👉Covid pushing musicals outdoors and it dropping to 23 degrees – sitting on the ground with 4 other volunteers freezing our butts off for 2 hours watching- and making memories. W e still talk about…
👉Sitting through an entire high school graduation to give them a hug in the parking lot afterward
👉Getting your haircut by the newly licensed hair stylist after she gets her first job at a salon. Then tipping almost 100% because you want to build that confidence
👉Being invited to your teen’s wrestling match, discovering it’s a backyard wrestling match and having to make a hasty escape with your teen when an adult neighbor decides he wants to ‘participate’….
👉Taking 2 boys to an overnighter with 1,000 middle schoolers so they can sit in the back during main sessions (introverts, overwhelmed by loud music) and play gaga ball for 2 hours.
👉Going to a cross country/track meet.
👉Going to a middle school girls basketball game where the final score is 12-8 and you celebrate them because they made 25% of their teams points (one basket)
👉Receiving Snapchats so they can keep the longest streak.
👉Sitting through a 3.5 musical when you despise musicals
👉Not being able to walk for two days because you pulled a muscle during an intense finger dart battle.
👉Going to the wrong basketball game because your student accidentally gave you the wrong times.
👉Telling someone not to do something then counseling them a week later after they did it.
👉Going to the gym with them to lift weights 5-6 days a week, but end up talking for 1 1/2 hours about their struggles and what is upsetting them.
👉Being invited to a play & purchasing a ticket only to find out it’s a homeschooler’s play… at their house… starring them and their 2 siblings… and you’re the only one in attendance
👉Having an entire 30 min conversation in GIFs
👉Watching every home basketball game as the team school at all levels goes without a single win.
👉Breaking up a fight in the stands at a flag football championship game…
👉Having a pile of nerf darts on the top of your washing machine at all times
👉Eating Little Caesars Pizza 4 times a month.
👉Going to several sports events to watch your student ride the bench.
Do you have a Youth Ministry is… story? Send it to me at thediscipleproject@gmail.com