I wish I'd known...that youthwork doesn't fix my faith

From Ed:
"I wish I had realised that being in full-time ministry would not fix the flaws in my faith, spiritual discipline or relationship with Christ. I'm still learning that if I'm not personally loving Christ, then my ministry becomes empty and unpleasant. I am a Christian first, before all else. Being paid as a children's worker does not automatically kick start my faith. It sometimes helps, but more often my sinfulness means it gets in the way of my love of Christ. I heartily recommend Serving without Sinking to understand this issue further."

This is true for those of us who are volunteers as well as full-timers. Teaching God’s Word is a huge privilege, and sometimes, as we dig into it to prepare for a session, the Lord lovingly uses it to reveal Himself to us personally and show us more of His glory and grace. But this must never be a substitute for our own time with God, reading His Word and coming before Him in prayer.

Children and young people learn from what we teach; but also from who we are. If we neglect our own walk with God, it impacts every area of our life, including our role with young people. They quickly notice if we’re not living what we’re teaching. They watch us all the time - what we say, how we treat others, what we’re like with our own children, how we relate to others in the team, how we respond to difficult group members, whether we turn first to God in prayer when things are hard…

“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy 4 v 16

“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” Hebrews 13 v 7

If that scares you, then maybe now would be a good time to consider your own walk with God, and to ask Him to help you live for Him – not just in front of the group, but in every part of your life. And while you’re at it, that’s a great thing to pray for other team members as well.

*******
That’s the end of this blog series about children’s and youth work. But if it has raised a question you’d like answering, please add it as a comment and I will do my best to help. And if I don’t know the answer (see blog 5), I’ll find out!