STUDENT MINISTRY: Final Moments with Your Seniors
I have a problem. I enjoy TV. I always have. My dad managed Walmart stores while I was growing up, and we moved regularly. I was the first in the family to figure out what channel things came on because TV was one of those things I could rely on to be the same. I loved watching shows all the way through. However, it was easy to miss episodes and even finales because of the nature of TV at the time — no VCRs or DVRs. Streaming has changed all of that. Now, you can watch a show all the way through. You don’t have to miss anything, unless you fall asleep. The only problem now is if a show gets canceled early. It can be aggravating if a show doesn’t get a good wrap-up. There is something very satisfying about knowing how the story ends or will continue even when you are not with those characters.
Student ministry is like a TV show with no finale. We get to say goodbye as they graduate from student ministry, but we don’t really know how the story ends. They may embrace their faith as they head off to college or walk away from it. With SOAR 2024 in the rearview and camps coming to a close, your time with your graduating seniors is rapidly coming to a close. Since we may not know the rest of their story, let me suggest that you do a few things in the coming weeks as they get ready to step out of student ministry, and, like a good Baptist preacher, I have managed to alliterate them:
• Embrace them. Be sure they know they are loved by you, the church and those in your student ministry. They need to hear it come from your mouth. These students are about to embark on one of the biggest challenges that they will face. They need to know they are cared for and people are praying for them.
• Encourage them. There is a lot of uncertainty about stepping out into this world as an adult. It is full of physical and spiritual dangers. It can be an extremely stressful time. I remember Dr. Johnnie Hoffmann at Central Baptist College giving our Psychology 101 a questionnaire about different stressors in our lives. Every member of the class had reason to feel stressed. College can be a time of uncertainty and anxiety. We need to cheer on our students. We don’t want to bolster false confidence, but we want to let them know we believe in them.
• Exhort them. This is probably our most important role as student ministry workers. We want to challenge them to carry their faith to college with them. We want to see them connected with campus ministries and churches in the communities where they are headed. We need to pray over them and speak truth to them in the days we have left with them.
Saying goodbye as a student goes to college is hard. There is no denying that. You have spent years pouring into their life, and things will be different now. However, our students were never designed to stay teenagers. God wants them to grow in faith and understanding. Remember, you have done what you can. Send them off, pray for them and be ready to encourage them when they call or message you. You may never get to see the finale of the series of their life. You will have to settle for being a guest in their series. That’s an okay place to be. Just point them to Jesus as long as you are in their lives.
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Dan Carson
BMA Youth Department Director Dan Carson writes a weekly column titled, Student Ministry Matters, through which he inspires, challenges, and informs BMA of Arkansas churches and church staff about all things pertaining to student ministry.
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