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Communication: I Wish I Knew

Twenty-one things I wish I knew when I began in student ministry.


1. Ministry is fun.
2. Ministry is work.
3. You cannot do this alone.
4. If you want to make decent money, go do something else.
5. There are people in your church who work harder and get paid less than you do, so stop complaining about how much money you make and consider #4.
6. The elders are always right.
7. There are many decisions for Christ? Awesome. The trash still needs to be taken out.
8. Your biological children won’t always adore you as much as your students at church, but you should always adore them more than you adore your students at church.
9. Read the Bible a lot.
10. Every now and then, get in your vehicle, turn everything off, and drive.
11. Schedule date nights or they won’t happen.
12. Eat zinc lozenges when you feel like you’re getting sick. You’ll miss less stuff and get healthy faster.
13. Get over yourself. Preaching at a high school summer camp and having a blog does not make you famous.
14. (For youth ministers) A third of your time should be spent with students, a third with volunteers, and a third with parents. Don’t neglect any third or you won’t last long.
15. If you’d lean over a person in your church to pray for them, you darn sure better lean over your kids at night and pray for them, too.
16. Always assume the best in people. You might be wrong occasionally, but you’ll be better off in the long haul.
17. Find someone you trust to do your taxes because they’re hard.
18. Wear a shirt with buttons every now and then. It shouldn’t matter, but it does.
19. The Bible says we should take a day of rest every week. Not two. Not three.
20. Your hands are full from carrying your cross. So keep them off people you aren’t married to. That goes for eyes, hearts, and minds, too.
21. Say the Jesus prayer often: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

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