A Call to Ministry

#LifeStory [ 12 ]  August 17, 2012
I am living proof that the Lord has a sense of humor!  He's calling me to full-time youth ministry!  Almost a year ago, at our church's last Global Outreach Celebration, Elyssa and I both felt that there was more to life than just teaching and serving in our church, but we didn't specifically know what.  I had never been on a mission  trip, but I found myself thinking it would be great if we could somehow plan a family mission trip.  We talked about going to Washington State for a week to help a young couple there plant a church, and started making plans and discussing travel.

But in January of 2012, our church's youth pastor of 10 years announced that he was called to lead the youth ministry of a church in Tennessee.  Our hearts were heavy as we cancelled plans for Washington, and committed to help work with the youth and keep things going until our church found another youth pastor.

Daniel, Micah, and I met with Brother Jimmy and Brother Wes to form a team of current youth leaders and they appointed me to lead and serve as the communicator to the pastors.  During this time, Brother Wes organized a Youth Leadership Team and a Youth Pastor Advisory Team.  Brother Jimmy announced to the church the process they would use to find a youth pastor, whether far away or from within our own church.

The question was who?  After several months, the youth leadership team was working well together, but we still needed a youth pastor who could tie all the loose ends together and give general direction, leadership, and vision to the ministry.  The more I helped with planning and leading the youth, the more I realized how much God had prepared me for such a time as this. Ten years of teaching high school students, leading fundraisers, organizing trips, and working with people is only a few of the experiences God gave me to help prepare and equip me.  The Lord had also provided me with two years of discipleship while in college, opportunities to work with three different youth ministries, and a love in my heart for teens.

But my wife, Elyssa, is the one who did a complete 180 degree turn.  All throughout our marriage, she served in the nursery and worked with small children, while I served in the youth ministry.  She didn't feel comfortable with teens, was slightly intimidated, and said she would never work with teens.  But as I started getting more involved in the youth ministry, she jumped in to help more and more.  Elyssa quickly built great relationships with the girls in our youth group, and the teens eagerly listened to her loving advice and encouragement.  Within a few months, Elyssa went from "I don't like teens" to "I love the teenage girls!"  And God has given her favor in their eyes, so she could make a huge impact in their lives.

As the months went by, I grew more and more in love with the youth.  I often found myself thinking about the youth pastor position, but would always talk myself out of it, mainly because I enjoy teaching and felt that the classroom is where God had called me to minister.  However, I also had several people mention to me that I would make a good youth pastor, but I usually brushed it off as nonsense while thanking them for the encouragement.

Within four to five months, the pastors found a candidate who was interested in the youth pastor position.  Elyssa and I had dinner with the amazing couple during their initial visit with church leadership.  We thought they were great people and looked forward to planning a second visit to see how they interacted with the teens.

About two weeks before the couple returned, Bryan called and asked if I had considered the youth pastor position. I told him I'd thought about it some, but jokingly needed the Lord to roll back the clouds and speak directly from Heaven.  I knew by this time that I would be a good fit for the position, but I also knew I couldn't do it without my wife being committed 100 percent.  So, I asked the Lord to work in my wife's heart first, which He had already started doing.  A few days before the amazing couple returned, Brother Jimmy also asked me the same question that Bryan had asked, but I brushed it off and told him I knew God had called me to teach, but wasn't sure about youth ministry.

With great excitement the amazing couple returned, and we enjoyed the time we spent with them eating, playing games, and so forth.  But the weekend had an awkward feel and we (church leadership and the amazing couple) quickly discerned that they were not the ones for our youth ministry.    During that same weekend, in the middle of the morning worship service, Elyssa felt the Lord tell her that we needed to commit ourselves 100 percent to the youth ministry and not wait.  On the way home after church she shared with me what she felt the Lord telling her.  I then mentioned to her that I had asked the Lord to speak to her heart first, and thus confirm through her the calling He was issuing on our lives.  So we started to pray.

That same evening, we returned to church for a reception for the amazing couple.  Before the reception got started, I was talking to Foster and Vicki, and they both expressed their appreciation and mentioned that if things didn't work out with the amazing couple, then their vote was for me.  As we drove home from church that evening, Elyssa and I talked and decided to call Brother Jimmy that night to ask if we could meet with him before church on Wednesday to discuss the possibility of me serving as youth pastor.  To my surprise he then shared with me the conversations between him and his wife, Janice.  While eating with Elyssa and I at the same table during the reception, Janice had pointed to me and told Brother Jimmy, "There's your youth pastor."  Of course, he then tells her how I had mentioned being called to teach.  But then later on, after the reception while they were driving home, Janice suggests that maybe the church needs to quit looking for a youth pastor and just wait for the Lord to work in Cheyenne's heart!  And of course if was only moments later when I called Brother Jimmy to ask about discussing it with him.

Isn't is awesome how the Lord works in our hearts?  Yes, I love teaching, and will miss certain aspects of it, but now I have an opportunity to give myself 100 percent to what He has prepared and called me to do - be a youth pastor!