In my 30+ years of being involved in children’s, youth and family ministry, the most important thing I have discovered is that the best thing we can offer to those we minister to is a healthy us.
We can often define ourselves (or allow ourselves to be defined by others) by what we do. If we have a job title and description, we can allow that to define us. I would have happily argued with you that I didn’t do that myself — but that I knew of others who did! The reality of how I saw myself and ministry hit home when I was made redundant from a ministry role. It wasn’t a ‘job’ to me, it was a vocational calling. If I got made redundant — did that mean my call was redundant? I wrestled with that for a while — it felt ironic, as I now had to practice what I had been sharing with others. As so often in my life, I fell back on the truths of God’s word, his faithfulness and his call.
The reality is that human beings might appoint us to roles, but it is God who calls and anoints with his Spirit, imparts his strength and fills us with his peace. I realised that I had been given a gift. Being made redundant helped me ask some important questions about what sustained me in ministry, why I was doing it in the first place and who it was for.
Life in all its fullness is found in Christ. Jesus himself stated, ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full’ (John 10:10). No programme or curriculum can give you ‘life in all its fullness’; no team or inspirational earthly leader can compete with what you already have — in Christ.
You — who you are, not what you do — is the most important aspect of your ministry to and with others. You must nurture, encourage, look after and value yourself. Colossians 3:3 says, ‘For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.’ It is one of the most liberating and staggering phrases in scripture. The word used here is about being covered, and in this form of the Greek it is also about ‘place’. Where are we? We are covered by Christ — we are with him. That place, that awesome position as Ephesians 2:6 says, ‘seated with him’. Our place with Christ leads to what we do — it comes first.
We cannot ‘work’ ourselves into this place by delivering amazing youth work, spending all our time serving others or being seen to be at everything the church is doing. We cannot earn a better place with God than we already have. We are ‘in Christ’! So, do we have a healthy view of ourselves? Are we in a healthy place? If our identity and our sense of self is now hidden with Christ, we are seated with him, we delight in his presence — isn’t that ultimately what we long to see our young people grasp?
If we are called to make disciples, what is the model of our own lives? How do we draw others to Christ, point to him, live for him, hold onto him and give everything to him? Somehow, we must find the balance between what we use to do ministry (money, resources, an organisation, contacts, programmes, curriculum, team) and who we choose to be in ministry. With all that we have at our disposal, we can do wonderful things or mess it up (regardless of how much we have available to us). Our attitude, values, priorities, character, vision, passion and love for Jesus can’t be purchased from a bookshop, exhibition or conference.
Children and young people follow footprints better than blueprints. They follow those who are walking after Christ, who simply know they are loved, live in that place of love and share their lives out of that love they have received. This is who we are — not what we do.
If we get this right, if we can re-discover our place — in Christ, in him, covered, wholly his — then everything else will flow from this, the source of life in us and through us. Enabling us to be a resource to others. You might be the only ‘Jesus’ some young people, children and families see. You matter.
You are completely loved. You are completely free. You are completely whole. When we share from the life we have received from Christ — when we fully live in that place of security and safety — we can live, share and speak meaningfully into the lives of the young people we work with. You can’t buy this or create a programme that will contain it. If you fully embrace the life you have in Christ it will transform your ministry.
Ali Campbell runs The Resource, a children’s, youth and family ministry consultancy to equip the local church with strategic advice, training, mentoring and support. Email ali@theresource.org.uk
