Where Are The Shepherds

• Paris Ragan
• Christian Living
• 0 comments
• April 27, 2018

Phil 2:19-24 says, “But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state. For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel. Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me. But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come shortly.”

I have been involved with youth ministry for going on five years now, and that certainly makes me no expert. Shortly after being saved, I was asked to step up and take a leadership role as youth pastor for a local church in my hometown. In the few months that I served there, I learned a valuable lesson: You may have a call of God on your life, and you may have a strong zeal to serve the Lord, but that does not mean you are ready to serve in a leadership role.

I took a bold stand within that church—one that was not received with open arms. I do believe the Lord helped and aided me in the short time I was there, but He also wanted to sit me down for a season and teach me His Word, specifically, the Message of the Cross.”

When I arrived at Jimmy Swaggart Bible College, I immediately got involved in the prison ministry, and I spent several years teaching in the prisons. Then Lord began to lay a burden on my heart for youth ministry—a burden that is still there today.

During this time, I met my soon-to-be-wife, Marybeth. She had been involved in youth ministry for some time. We actually got to know each other through our volunteer work at a Crossfire International Youth Conference.

At the beginning of 2016, I felt the Lord leading me to join JSBC’s youth ministry practicum. That fall, I was the practicum leader for Crossfire Youth Ministries.
The following year, Marybeth and I began the work that we are doing now with Crossfire Unite. On Wednesday nights, I’ve been privileged to preach at Crossfire services, and on weekends, Marybeth and I are spend time with our young people during fellowship activities. We have an awesome group of Crossfire Unite leaders who help out. They lead individual groups and do a great job of ministering to our young people.

I said all of that to say this: If there’s one thing that I’ve noticed in my experience with youth ministry, it’s that there aren’t many true youth leaders or pastors in the body of Christ today. I’ve watched people who were forced into the role of youth pastor—even though they weren’t called to that position—just because there was a void in the youth department.

There are so many preachers out there using youth ministry as a stepping stone toward bigger and better positions. My question is, where are the shepherds for our young people—shepherds who have sat at the feet of men like the apostle Paul and learned the way a ministry should operate? Where are the ones who will naturally care for the state of our young people?

The reason that Timothy could “naturally care for their state” is because it was natural. Being a pastor is far more involved than leading a Wednesday night service. It is hours of labored prayer, weeping, and sleepless nights spent in concern over the condition of this generation and asking God, “How can we reach them?”
Natural care mentioned in verse 20 speaks of the care a parent would give to one of his own children. So youth ministry is not a stepping stone. It is a calling, and it should be attended to with the utmost care.

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