Pass it On

Around this time every year I reflect on the past year of ministry. Well, usually I like to do it at the start of the year but better late than never. It is a habit that I both look forward to and despise. I look forward to it because it gives me a chance to think about the good things God has done in the past year. I despise it because I usually think about the goals that I set at the beginning that I completely failed at.
This year is a bit different because last may a huge graduating class both in number and influence left. This past fall I have thought much about that class and my interactions with them. Sometimes I think about the opportunities that I may have missed, the dumb things I told them, the times where I was frustrated with them, and other negative regrets. With all of the things that I missed I feel like there was one thing that I did ok at. That was giving ministry away.

I decided that I needed to give a handful of students the opportunity to own their ministry. It did not always succeed programmatically. For example one time three seniors preached on Sanctification, Justification, and Glorification. (It was a little over my head let alone the other students.) But overall these students had the opportunity for hands on ministry. We actually believe in the concept of giving ministry away so much that we shifted our program on a weekly basis to allow more students to participate in the ministry. The short term results of this type of focus can be hard to see, but the long term payoff is worth it.

Over the past few years of doing ministry we have done good and bad with program elements. Our attendance has fluctuated. My level of energy has ebbed and flowed. My responsibilities at the church have changed. And in the midst of all of these changes, the art of giving ministry away to students has brought joy in my life. It is well worth the effort to see that High School student play a vital role in ministry and then ‘get it.’ So, like the Apostle Paul did in 2 Timothy 4 by giving Timothy the charge of the ministry to carry it on, may we do the same. Paul also uses the language of being ‘poured’ out like a drink offering. May we pour ourselves into students by giving them the opportunity to not just be part of the ministry but to do the work of the ministry.