Why Youth Ministry Matters

It is fashionable in some circles to decry modern student ministry in our churches as a failure, because many current church leaders doubt whether or not it has a lasting impact. I have seen blog posts from veteran youth workers wondering aloud if their work really matters. Early yesterday morning I received a text from a former participant in one of the youth ministries I led, completely out of the blue.  I was last the youth pastor for this wonderful young woman in 1994. The text said this: "I just wanted to say hi and thank you. You taught me years ago that my relationship with God doesn't have to fit in a box. It is mine. I don't know why God wants me to tell you that this morning, but He does."  I headed off to church with a tear in my eye and a song in my heart.

All over the world yesterday and every day, current and former youth pastors and volunteer youth workers heard messages just like that from students whose lives they have touched. You cannot judge the effectiveness of student ministry by whether or not kids stay in church when they go to college or being their families.  You judge it by the impact it has on the lives of students 10 years after they leave your ministry.  Our God is a God of relationships, and youth pastors are tasked with helping teenagers build relationships with Jesus and each other. One of the advantages of my advancing age is that I have been around long enough to see that impact, to see the difference a youth ministry can make in the lives of students.  Student ministry is far from perfect.  But it does matter...

Because of Jesus,