Youth Ministry – A Poem
Kevin Mahaffy, Jr.

How you got into youth ministry
The possibilities are endless
However it came about
You’re now counted in the census

Maybe as a youngster
You were very well connected
To a loving youth pastor
Who knew you were selected

To be a youth worker
To be a player in the game
So you could love students
Pass on the legacy just the same

Maybe you had no one
Your youth was full of regret
Now you wish to make a difference
And help teenagers get

The love you never had
But truly wish you did
So to a meeting you went
And up you slid your hand

Perhaps your church was stuck
No one would do the job
So you were volunteered
And now you cry and sob

Wondering what happened
Wishing you could sleep
But that’s next to impossible
In a cabin, in your face, a kid’s feet

And so you Googled
Help! I’m in youth ministry
And up popped Doug Fields
Your heart filled with glee

So now you’re full of life
Full of hope and ideas
Planning events, prepping talks
Recruiting volunteers

The longer you’re in this thing
We affectionately call youth ministry
The more you come to realize
It’s not about activity

It’s about loving Jesus, living authentically
And of course loving students
Sometimes you want to quit
But something tells you, you shouldn’t

Because you come to know
Yes you come to understand
Youth ministry isn’t about kids
It’s about godly women, godly men

Who will catch the vision
And live life for God’s purposes
And pass it on to their kids
As they talk, play, and take trips to circuses

And so you keep at it
One more day, one more kid
Through the laughs, through the tears
The mountain tops and the skids

Because you know
As Mother Teresa said
Little things done with big love
Make a difference in the end

Though you may never see it
God is smiling from up above
So keep on keepin’ on
And remember, it’s all about love

This article “Youth Ministry – A Poem” by Kevin Mahaffy, Jr. was excerpted from: www.simplyconnected.com web site blog. June 2008. It may be used for study & research purposes only.

This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”