Contrary to the oldest pastor joke in the book, you are probably aware that a pastor works a little more than one hour a week. He has many demands on his time and various responsibilities to tend to all week long that pull him in all sorts of directions. And because of that, it can be easy for a pastor to focus on just greasing the wheels that squeak.
While a pastor desires to be able to serve every member of his congregation well, one group that can easily get missed are teens because they usually aren’t the squeaky wheels. Sometimes they might even prefer to fly under the radar. But every pastor will find ways to connect to this often-forgotten segment of the church family. It’s vital. Even if they attend Christian schools, teens continually face the challenges of peer pressure, the responsibilities of academics, extracurriculars, and work, and the struggle of where to find their identity. All of these things make the teen years a critical time to be connected to God’s Word, to their church, and yes, to their pastor.
While youth ministry is a great way to get members to lead and serve—by teaching teen Bible study and organizing fun, fellowship, and service events—the pastor knows he can’t be hands-off in youth ministry. And so, pastors will make time to volunteer with their teens at the local food bank. They’ll stay up all night (or as late as their bodies will allow) playing games and eating pizza at the lock-in. They’ll ask about school and sports and how clubs and hobbies are going. They’ll remember teens’ birthdays with a text or a snap (Ok, maybe not a snap). Because it’s in these seemingly little things that teens get to see their pastor as more than a pastor. They get to see their pastor as someone who loves and cares about them, someone they can trust and rely on to be there for them.
Pastors are busy. They are busy doing their best to faithfully care for all the members of their congregation, from children to the elderly and those in between. And they are never too busy to minister to the teens of their church family. They continue to find ways to love them as Jesus does and to point them to him, who alone is their identity, their peace, and their joy.
Pastor Aaron Bublitz
Heritage, Gilbert, Arizona
October is Pastor Appreciation Month, a time to thank called workers for faithfully preaching and teaching God’s Word to us. Not sure how to thank your pastor this year? Let him choose a gift with an NPH e-gift card!