In youth ministry, you choose youth ministry resources, write sermons, and plan events with a specific purpose in mind. I also assume that you those purposes come through study of scripture and prayer and trying to line your vision up with what God desires.  And the great thing is that when we do that, there are specific promises in scripture that God promises to fulfill. But the problem is that too often I feel like we do not see those promises fulfilled in our ministries.  Granted, at the end of the day our students have free will so we only have so much control and power, but God is a big God so I think there may be another reason that we are not seeing the kind of fruit we might want.

Have you ever been to Krispy Kreme Doughnuts?  If not what you need to know is that they have a red light in the window.  And if that light is on you are promised a free doughnut. Now imagine you go in and they do not get that doughnut. You would possibly flip out and demand they fulfill their guarantee, their promise.  Why don't we claim the promises of God like that for our ministries?  Why don't we cry out and pray that God do what He said He would do in the lives of our students.  Too many times I think we just put our work in and feel good instead of going out and demanding more through prayer and sometimes even fasting. Granted God will work in His own time and for His own purposes but their are promises that He must fulfill.

Now here is the other thing, I do not believe that Krispy Kreme would ever deny you your free doughnut.  They have integrity and a reputation to upheld. But how much more does God? God is perfect, holy and righteous.  God wants to reveal Himself to the nations. So we must know that if we claim His promises He will want to work to fulfill them in our ministries and the lives of our students. 

In youth ministry, be it events, youth ministry resources, or just the community of people we are ministering to, we must always be looking forward to make sure we are leading our people in the right direction and preparing them for what lies ahead.  But in the process of doing that we often leave people behind because we forget to enjoy the present moment and we often lose people because we forget to appreciate and remember where we have come from.  That is why as you evaluate your ministry there are a few things that I suggest you always consider as you make your plans for the road that lies ahead.

The Past- You must look towards the past. Partially so that you can remember your mistakes and learn from them and partially because it is always good to remember where God has brought you from. But another very important reason to look at the past is because there are people who have gotten your ministry to where it is and they are often still a valuable part of their ministry. And even though we should not do things just because we have always done them, it is important to consider why we have always done something and how making a change will effect important people in your ministry.

The Present-  We cannot get so excited about the future that we forget what is going on in the moment. Plus, what is happening now, from our students spiritual health to the changes occurring in our community, our a big part of what will guide us as we head forward.

The Future- As you look to the future, you should first of all seek God's wisdom for what He wants for you. Then out of that I believe He will guide you as to where you should go. But please know that in this process I believe He will use the leaders and students around you in your ministry to give you wisdom and insights in to what the best plans may be.

It is important that we be visionary as student pastors and always look ahead.  But as I believe you can see, at the same time it is important to remember where we have come from and where our youth ministry is today.