Challenging Normal

Dependency On You = Independent From God

Who are we teaching our students to be depended on? Us? Because we have all the answers and the ticket to get out of Hell for free. Or God? A lot of time in Youth Ministry we allow our insecurities to dictate a lot of our decision. As human we need to be needed. We want to be wanted. I can be honest and real enough to speak from experience. It feels good that when a student in your ministry has questions or are in serious need they come running to you. If strokes our ego to be needed. Although we can guide them and possibly steer them in the right direction we truly do not have the solution that they need.

Are we making disciples of Jesus or disciples of us? If your driving force in your insecurities then you are building your own kingdom. If we are teaching and training the student in our ministries to be dependent on us then we are teaching them to be independent of God. Instead of us being their answers and solutions to every need, we should be teaching them how to seek Him for their answers. The greatest thing you can do for a student is introduce them to Christ. The second greatest thing is to teach them how to be dependent on Him for their everything.

Teach them how to think, ask questions, and look from His perspective rather than yours. Teach them God's Word not your ways. Just a thought from a Youth Pastor than struggles with this issue from time to time.