Youth Ministry from the Inside Out: How Who You Are Shapes What You Do

Flash! Ping! Whiz! Pop! Boom! Bang! Crash! Such are the sights and sounds of modern youth ministry. We look for the bigger, the louder, the brighter. And we work long and hard to make our ministry the biggest, the loudest, the brightest. But look out and listen up: God is not caught up in sound and fury. And he doesn't want to see youth workers disengage--letting the momentum define their purpose. Mike Higgs, reflecting on more than two decades of work with youth, thinks the greatest need among youth workers today is a reminder of who we are. We need to set aside the distractions of an emphasis on performance and focus instead on connecting with God in his work in us, our students and other youth workers. When a renewed spirit shapes our work with youth, our ministry will become less a muddled chorus of strategies and targets, and more a symphony of purpose and practice.