The Youth Ministry Prayer

As the stage is set for the next wave of Youth Ministers, my heart cries out in prayer for the future of Youth Ministry.

This is my prayer!

God I thank you for the opportunity to be here at the NYWC. God I thank you for the ones that have gone on before us in the world of Youth Ministry. But the stage is now empty, ready for others to step in and begin to lead the current culture of youth. God may we not be a culture of Youth Pastors that seek to do what everyone else is doing. God may we know our kids and their unique diverse design. May we not entertain. May we not seek to draw "more" kids for the sake of numbers. May prayer take the place of calendering in our week. May school lunches be something that we so often attend, that we are mistaken as school employees. May Youth Pastors and Workers find their peace in who you have created them to be. If it is bald, then let us be bald. If it is spiked hair allow us to be ones of spiked hair. If tattoos are something we want, may we get them. But God, our God please let us live by our conviction and not be guilty of trying to duplicate what "success" looks like. God when we (Youth Pastors/Workers) meet each other at the mall, conferences, Starbucks, etc. may we never ask the number of students we have at our gatherings, but may we be quick to ask how our spiritual journey is going. May we be quick to pray for one another. May we be quick to join hands across denominational lines, creating a Unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17: 20-23. God, may we focus on our marriage to our husband/wife and being a father/mother to our kids first, before we invest in the lives of others!

God this is my prayer for all of us that you have called to serve in the Youth Ministry! In the powerful name of Jesus!