"A library, to modify the famous metaphor of Socrates, should be the delivery room for the birth of ideas" 

- Norman Cousins

The PLOT by Dan Stanford

I have a rare disease, one which is shared by only about six percent of the American population.  The disease is not deadly but the treatments are expensive.  I’m a “bookaholic.”  There I’ve said it, I love books, (even the ones without pictures), and one thing I have noticed about all good books is that they have a plot, a series of circumstances that take a character from point A to point B.

Recently I started thinking about the plot of ministry.  I have been in the trenches for nearly a decade and I have begun to notice a pattern, a pattern that greatly impacts the direction and effectiveness of my ministry.

About a year ago I was asked to speak for a student ministry.  I was excited about the opportunity until about five minutes before I was supposed to get up and talk.  At that point God did something that is typically considered rude, he interrupted me.  Half way through the final worship song I felt God prompting me to ditch my well crafted sermon and go in another direction.  My first thought was, “get behind me Satan” there’s no way that God would ask me to set a side such a magnificent piece of art and just wing it.  After all I’m not the type of person who feels comfortable with giving an impromptu talk; it’s not the way I’m wired.  I relate to Mark Twain who once said “it takes me at least three weeks to get ready for an impromptu speech.”  “God, if it takes Mark Twain three weeks how do you expect me to do this with only three minutes?”

Confused I sat down and prayed listening for God’s leading.  After a few moments of listening I was about ninety percent sure that it was God.  I apologized for calling God Satan.  Obediently I got up and shared the one thought that had been gestating in my mind during worship trusting that God would give me the rest of what I needed to say, verbally voyaging into uncharted waters.

Twenty five exhilarating minutes later I concluded my talk.  Afterwards my wife came up to me and said, “Normally you’re a great speaker but…that sermon was flawless.”  I don’t know what that sermon did for those students but I know what it did for me.  It was one of those moments where I was acutely aware of the presence, power and provision of God.  I experienced what the Celtics referred to as a “thin spot” an experience where one feels so close to God it seems as if you closed your eyes and reopened them you would see God face to face.

That night I instinctively followed a four step process which has become the drive of my ministry and also the drive of my life.  The four steps are: Pray, Listen, Obey, and Trust.  It has been pointed out by various authors that the command which is repeated most frequently in scripture is “fear not” or “don’t be afraid.”  The reason why is that God often asks us to do some pretty scary things.  But the promise repeated most frequently is that God will be with us, helping us to navigate through the challenges that intrinsically come with doing ministry on the edge.

The word plot is also used to describe where someone or something is buried.  I have found that when I neglect any of these four steps (praying, listening, obeying and trusting) I bury something that God wanted to do in me and through me.

My challenge to you as you brave the challenges of youth ministry is to make sure that the plot that catapults your ministry forward is prayer, listening, obeying and trusting because when you do you’ll find yourself becoming more intimate with God and making a greater impact for God.  And when you don’t you’ll find yourself burying something that God wanted to do in you and through you. 

Identity Crisis by Lee Bezotte

Being the very first article for this wicked cool youth leadership mentoring web site, I tossed around a lot of ideas, I talked with some friends, asked my wife, looked for material to steal (come on, you know you do it!) and wondered, "How can I start this thing off in a direction that will compel youth pastors to come back and continue to grow in their leadership abilities?"  Then finally, it dawned on me, "Oh yeah, I should pray about it!"  After all, this resource was born out of prayer, it should be raised there too.  Here's what came out of that prayer time: God wants to lay a solid foundation in you as a leader; one that's rock solid and won't crack when pressure and temptation come.  Want to know what I'm talking about?  Then read on Brotha!

So often, I meet youth leaders that are in a constant state of flux with their identity as a youth pastor.  "I'm kinda doing this for now", "I eventually want to pastor a church", and "I'm just a youth pastor right now" are common phrases I hear.  As if being a youth pastor is a stage in life we must endure until we are transformed into beautiful butterflies that fly away and do bigger and better things.  The great and horrible thing about most leaders is that our heads are usually in the future.  Unfortunately, for so many youth pastors, thinking about the future means thinking about the next assignment or phase in life, when we should be thinking about the future of our present assignment, and what our student ministry is going to look like in nine months.  I love the way that Oswald Chambers puts it... "We have an idea that God is leading us to a particular end, a desired goal; He is not. The question of getting to a particular end is a mere incident. What men call training and preparation, God calls the end...."  In other words, get your head in the game because this is it!  This isn't a dress rehearsal for bigger things.  This IS the bigger thing!  This is where God has you right now so plant yourself deep and dig in.  Your students know when your heart isn't in it and they deserve better.  If you're thinking of moving on, then do everyone a favor and do it so God can place someone there who cares.  Make a choice.  If God called you to do it, then commit to it with all your heart and leave your future in God's hands.

If you're viewing yourself as "just a youth pastor" ask God to reveal to you just how truly important you are to His kingdom.  You are shaping the lives of tomorrow's church!  Personally, I feel a sense of pride when I tell people I work with teenagers.  If the title of "youth pastor" doesn't get you all tingly, try something else like "student minister", "youth director" or "Morpheus type figure to the freed people of Zion".  What ever label you put on your role, understand that you are vital to the eternities of teenagers and you are so because God set you apart for that purpose!  Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11, "But I don’t think I am inferior to these “super apostles.”  I may not be a trained speaker, but I know what I am talking about."  You should have the same attitude.  You are NOT inferior as a youth leader!  You are not less-than or some sort of "Junior Pastor".  Embrace your identity as a youth pastor!  It's a great honor to be entrusted with the next generation.  Accept that honor and passionately pour yourself into your students until they rise up and change the world!

You are an awesome weapon in God's hand and you're fighting on the field He has placed you in.  Accept who He has called you to be and serve with all your might!

It's an honor to be in the trenches with you!