STUDENT MINISTRY: Flexing Their Ministry Muscles
This past Sunday was a “Fifth Sunday.” You know the day. It comes four times a year and is usually followed by something different at your church. At Temple Baptist Church of Rogers, a “Fifth Sunday” meant the youth pastor was preaching, and there would be a meal in the fellowship hall. Many call those days “Youth Sundays.” At Calvary, we now refer to them as “Family Sundays.” Those days provide our Children’s Worship leaders a day off and an opportunity for the entire family to worship together. In recent months, our students have started taking a leadership role during worship on those days. It is great to see them flex their ministry muscles under the leadership of our worship leader, Jason Burns. They have grown in confidence and musicality since we started this process. I am excited to see where this goes.
“Youth Sundays” and “Family Sundays” are great excuses to get your students involved. They provide a great entry point and allow service to be done in a loving and supportive environment. However, I hope you aren’t limiting your students to only those days. Our students need to understand that service isn’t just for special occasions. When navigating issues surrounding having your students serve in ministry roles, there are some things to consider:
• Students must have a relationship with Jesus before serving in a teaching or leading role. Your students may be involved with your church, but if they don’t know Jesus and haven’t made that relationship public through baptism, there is a need for them to wait. There are still ways for them to serve, but we must be protective of our pulpits and classrooms.
• Students growing up in small/normative size churches often have greater opportunities to serve. Now, you might think the opposite to be true — that a bigger church means more opportunity. However, I have seen, over and over again, how some of the most faithful servants in ministry circles are ones who had a small church experience in their younger years.
• Students considering a call to ministry need to understand the realities of ministry. Some students get caught up in the idea of ministry and don’t really understand the reality. Serving in ministry is serving people and the church. It is putting others before oneself. It may mean being on the platform, but it also might mean setting up a room for a Bible study. All of it is ministry.
• Students need an opportunity to flex their ministry muscles. Are students going to do things perfectly? No. However, we don’t need to overlook their gift of service simply because of their age. If they are Christ-followers, it is our responsibility to help them grow. It can start small. We may never see them serve their church family if we push them off until they reach a certain age.
Service in the church is a steady faithfulness that impacts the servant and the life of those they serve. Let’s help our students understand the power of faithfully serving. A Youth Sunday is a great place to start, but that doesn’t need to be the end of it. Look for ways that your students can contribute all the time. Push them. Challenge them. In the end, God may have something special in store for them.
Join our Facebook group (Facebook.com/groups/StudentMinistryMattersCommunity) and share how your students regularly serve in your church.
63
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.
Other posts by
Dan Carson
Contact author