Three years ago tomorrow, Nathan arrived, and things haven’t been the same since. I’ve learned a lot about life, priorities, ministry, and God.
I can’t believe he’s 3! It’s crazy. I remember it like it was yesterday (Check out the video from his first day). It’s unbelievable how one person can change your life.
Plus, being a dad is a huge responsibility.
I just hope I can be a good role model and a great friend for him. But it’s a huge job.
Consequences for Children who Grow up without Dads:
63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes–U.S. D.H.H.S., Bureau of the Census
85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes–Center for Disease Control
80% of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes–Criminal Justice and Behavior, Vol. 14, p. 403-26
71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes–National Principals Association Report on the State of High Schools
70% of juveniles in state operated institutions come from fatherless homes–U.S. Dept. of Justice
85% of all youths sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home–Fulton County Georgia jail populations & Texas Dept. of Corrections
Being a dad is the most important job in the world. I just pray I can be a good dad for my little boy. He deserves it.
Besides writing here and at my own youth ministry site (youthministrytv.com), I read a lot of blogs. Many of them have to do with youth ministry. Since I don’t have a blogroll on this site, I thought I’d post links to the 25 youth ministry blogs I have in my feed reader that I read.
If you’re not on the list, no worries, post your link in the comments. I’m always looking new sites to read. Please, go ahead, I’d love to visit your blog.
There’s a new way to transfer money online called the Revolution Money Exchange. They are paying you to sign up for the service. So, for a few minutes of your time, you could earn $25. It’s really easy, and it’s legit. If you do it through the button below, I get an extra $10, too. Then you can refer your friends and get $10 for each one you refer, too.
At the end of my class today, I asked my seminary students what they thought the greatest need was in the lives of Mexican young people. The only rule was that they couldn’t say the typical answer of “Jesus.” After thinking about it a little, they gave me great answers, all of which centered around the same theme.
Oscar said that he thought the greatest need is direction. Young people in Mexico have lots of potential, but they have little direction and guidance. They are wandering and thus get into trouble.
Chaire gave her opinion, and she said that they need love. Young people need someone to demonstrate love to them in a tangible way, because they are not receiving the right kind of love.
Huberto agreed with both Oscar and Chaire, and he said that Mexican young people need good mentors. They need someone who will invest their life in them and share with them the struggles of life. He said that many young people in the area are eager to make a difference, but they have nobody to guide them and help them accomplish their goals.
Abraham walked in for my next class, so we asked him the question. He responded by saying that he thought the biggest need in the lives of young people was someone who would take interest in them and share with them about their own life. He said they need someone who will come alongside them and be open to listen and accept them, sharing with them the struggles of life.
Isn’t this what youth ministry is all about? It’s why we are training these youth pastors at the seminary. I want to see them make an impact where there is a need. I believe they know what to do, and they are on their way to doing it in each of their ministries. They are providing direction, love, and guidance. They are great mentors and role models, and they have an incredible grasp on the needs of their students.
I was in a church in Cuba where the average person makes less than $20 a month, and the sign on the wall says “A church blessed to be a blessing.” I’ve always believed that we receive blessings (finances, opportunities, resources, etc) in order to be in a position to bless others.
The profession of youth ministry has been blessed to be a blessing. Many of us who are in youth ministry have received numerous opportunities. Some of us have been educated in youth ministry. We have experience in ministering to young people. We have learned a lot and been offered a lot. Now it’s our turn to be a blessing to others around the world.
Global youth ministry is important for many reasons. Here are some of them.
Because of the need
When we talk about the need for international youth ministry, I am often reminded of the statistics that I first heard when I was a youth ministry student at Liberty University.
Ninety-seven percent of the world’s trained youth workers live and work in the United States, ministering to less than 3% of the world’s youth population. In the United States, there is one trained youth worker for every 600 young people. In the rest of the world, there is one trained youth worker for every 400,000 young people.
While I’m not denying that the young people of America need youth pastors, the American church, who has focused on missions for quite some time now, has not yet turned its focus towards impacting the next generation with trained professionals in youth ministry.
Because of the blessings we’ve received
Training in youth ministry at either a graduate or undergraduate level is available from more than 140 accredited institutions in the United States (link). There are countless conferences, training sessions, and resources for youth workers. However, there are very few organizations who are focused on training and resourcing those outside of the English speaking world.
Because of invitations
New requests come in every day for training in other parts of the world. Youth Ministry International could use full time youth ministry trainers in all of the countries in which we are working right now, and there are other countries asking for our help.
We have invitations from at least three other countries in Latin America alone who want youth ministry training, but we are unable to respond to these requests for lack of trainers. There’s just not enough time or personnel to keep up with the invitations we are receiving.
Because of the commands.
God has commanded us to make disciples of all nations. Youth workers are doing their best to obey God and bring young people to follow Christ. If you’re a youth worker, I commend you for the work you are doing. I believe youth pastors are some of the most under-appreciated people on the planet. Thank you for doing what you do.
Now I’d like to ask you to consider what you are doing to be a blessing to others in the world who could benefit from your experience and training. We are praying that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers into His field. There are multitudes of young people who are in desperate need for people who have the ability to come alongside them and help them.
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Ninety-seven percent of the world’s trained youth workers live and work in the United States, ministering to less than 3% of the world’s youth population. In the United States, there is one trained youth worker for every 600 young people. In the rest of the world, there is one trained youth worker for every 400,000 young people.
