An Old-fashioned Diet for Young Disciples Youth on the Grow


by Trevor Kirsch


When I started serving at Compass Immanuel Church, I quickly realized that I didn’t fit into the stereotypical youth pastor mold. By nature I’m a simple, shy and boring person — I don’t attract people by my magnetic personality. My main priority was to teach the youth from the Word of God and not merely try to enter- tain them with exciting events. By God’s mercy, I started with a fairly young group of committed teenagers who accepted me and allowed me to speak into their lives. Our youth program consists of a Wednesday Bible study that goes all year — not even breaking for summer — plus a separate activity every second Friday during the school year. Wednesday Bible study quickly became my highlight as I


found the youth receptive to the simplicity of the Word of God. In the first years, I used study guides to help me work through topical studies or books of the Bible. As I gained experience and confidence, I was drawn to put away the study guides and focus on tackling specific books of the Bible. I don’t have a five-year plan except to cover creation and eschatology. I try to spend equal amounts of time in the Old Testament and the New Testament. As we near the end of a book, I ask the youth what they would like to study next, and I oſten pick a book of their choosing. During the past five years, we have studied Genesis, Matthew, Esther, 1 and 2 Timothy, eschatology, Titus, Psalms, and 1 and 2 Tessa- lonians. Currently, we are working through the book of Judges at their request! I have found topical studies largely unnecessary because


whatever topics I think might be helpful for the youth just present themselves through Scripture. I have been amazed over and over again at the different topics we cover as we work our way through a book! Ultimately God is the One who blesses the reading and studying of his Word, and we are the recipients of this blessing. I’ve also found that youth respond to being challenged intellec- tually. We dig pretty deep during some of our studies, but they are up to the task. I learned a long time ago that teens don’t need to be catered to or have the material dumbed down. Yes, studies


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needs to be relevant, but teens are smarter than some adults give them credit for. Once our youth finish high school, the majority naturally


go on to a Bible college for at least one year. Obviously, this isn’t something that can be forced, but the trend started years ago, and it has had a lovely snowball effect. I love to see the servant attitude that a youth group can help


develop, and it is so good to see the youth giving back. I could tell you about how Ryan, Sophia, Abby, Amber and Sam volunteer at Awana® or how different teens always help out at VBS, or how they are involved with ushering or music ministries. We try to minimize age segregation. Tis allows the older youth to men- tor the younger youth and gives opportunities for youth to be involved with adults. To someone starting out in youth ministry, I recommend that


you teach the Word and be transparent with the youth. If you want them to believe you love them, you actually have to love them! Tey are pretty good at recognizing a facade. Over the past couple of years, our youth group has shrunk due


to fewer teens in the church. Tis caused me to ask myself what it is that defines success in ministry. I can be quick to say it isn’t num- bers when the numbers are great, but do I really believe that when the numbers are small? God has been working on my heart lately to consider the value of one soul, one life, one teenager. His precious Word does not return void whether three people study together or 20. Te real question is, am I still prepared to study as hard and pour myself into the youth whether there are many or few? May God help each one of us who are involved with youth


ministry to see what a unique position we are in and the privilege we have to influence the next generation of leaders.


Trevor Kirsch is the associate pastor of Compass Immanuel Church of Rapid View, Sask., where he has been serving since 1998. He and his wife Twyilla have been married for 22 years and have been blessed with three children.


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