Greetings,
Ben here. Just got back from National Youth Workers Convention (NYWC) yesterday. Let me just say how excited I am for what God is doing at Northside. Day after day God continues to reveal His good and perfect Will in my life. I am very certain that God set me in this place of leadership for one purpose. To bring Him Glory. Youth ministry matters to Him. The youth will be the leaders of tomorrow.
The intense studies the team at Youth Specialties presented this weekend were both encouraging and convicting. I attended seminars titled: Your First 2 Years in Ministry, Marriage and Ministry, and Becoming the Leader God Made You to Be. It was encouraging to hear that Bo and I are doing things correctly.
Ministry is all about love. Matthew 22:36-40 tells about the greatest commandment. Love. If we look back in the OT the law and prophets pointed to the greatest commandment. The laws were love applied. God loved us so much that He set laws in place to keep us safe. Much like you parents set laws to keep your student safe.
The main thing I brought home from speakers like Doug Fields, Bob Goff, and Harvey Carey is that youth ministry is important. More often than not, youth ministers seem to focus on the wrong things. We often get wrapped up in the “branding” of the ministry, or the size of the attendance. What I resonated most with is what I stated earlier; that ministry is about loving people. Celebrating the good times and walking with them in the tough times. Being available to parents for resources, and authentic with the students
Hope this makes sense. I’m not very good at blogs, but hope to do more in the future.
-Ben
Northside Sr High 