Youth is a vital time in a young person’s Christian journey. It’s a time of change and development with pressures all around and many questions to follow. Because of that, it’s also a great time when we get the opportunity to share the gospel with them, and for some, it may be the only experience of Jesus they ever have. Which is why it’s so important we make the most of the time they are with us.
Every Sunday, we make an effort to teach God’s word, worship him in song and build relationships. But it’s no small task, especially at the 9:30 service, when we can get over 60 young people ages 11-18, which can make it intimidating for the youth and leaders when they come for the first time.
A great passage I like to reflect on when serving at youth is Proverbs 22:6, which says “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it”.
That is our purpose at youth. We are here to give our young people a starting point for a relationship with God that will help them grow and mature faithfully in the later stages of life.
give our young people a starting point for a relationship with God
As leaders, we have to be mature Christian role models. This can feel like a big responsibility, but it can also be a great source of encouragement, as it allows us to support them on their own journeys.
A large part of youth is dedicated to discussion time after the talk to reflect on and discuss how we can apply what we have heard. This is one of the times that shine as a leader, because it’s our opportunity to really get to know our groups and help them as they struggle through life. Big questions, tedious relationships and lots and lots of tests. These are the things that the youth of this age have to deal with constantly, and being able to speak a Christian perspective into those areas is a real joy.
However, it can be hard to see if we are getting anywhere with them, and we may not see any fruit from their time with us. But that shouldn’t stop us from trying; we know that God is at work in these moments in ways we
may never understand.
Despite that, we’ve been greatly encouraged to see what God has been doing among our youth. This year, we have seen baptisms, the development of our youth band and some have even started attending the student growth group ‘Focus’. They never cease to surprise us.
As someone who grew up attending youth myself, I am still forever grateful for my leaders and still meet up with some of them today. I’d love to encourage you to consider serving at youth prayerfully. If you are interested in finding out more, you can talk to myself, Elger our Youth Director or sign up online.
