EBB-N-FLOW PROJECT: PART 1

I am writing a book – a book about the incredibly unique calling to youth ministry. Studies say that youth workers have the shortest occupational life span among all church employees: “over one third stay in the field one year or less. Even when remaining in the profession, youth workers rank just behind migrant workers in length of time in one place.” These kinds of statements are discouraging especially when 76% of vocational youth workers cite God’s call to youth work as their reason for entering vocational youth ministry. There are few books (certainly nothing new) on the topic of calling to youth ministry – little less, vocational ministry. Calling is incredibly personal, so for anyone to write a book on calling is simply a singular experience does not begin to represent the millions of other ways God has called men and women to vocational ministry. Before I get too much further in my writing, I want to collect your stories. Here is the format I am using to create this mosaic of youth ministry callings: [NOTE: If you are not comfortable posting your story on the blog, please e-mail it to me. I would also appreciate you spreading the word about the project and helping me get the stories of those who are early in their calling journey (college students) or who have “sold out” on vocational youth ministry (just kidding senior pastors). To make it more interesting, I will randomly select one post (every other week) to award an Amazon gift certificate.]

In an essay entitled, “Talking about Bicycles”, C.S. Lewis describes four ages of enchantment: the Un-enchanted age, the Enchanted Age, the Disenchanted Age, and the Re-enchanted Age. (I wrote an article on this essay for the Journal of Student Ministries) Lewis uses the four ages to describe an individual’s experience with bicycles: “As a little child I was un-enchanted by bicycles. Then, when I first learned to ride, I was Enchanted. By sixteen I was disenchanted and now I am Re-enchanted.” Lewis states that these four ages can be applied to nearly everything. I found it to be incredibly helpful in understanding my calling to youth ministry. It is not just a straight-shot to vocational bliss; it is a mess of twists and turns full of adrenaline-pumping-highs and depths-of-despair-lows. My hope and prayer is that Lewis’ roadmap will provide guidance (and encouragement) to youth workers wherever they are in their calling.

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What is your experience of enchantment with youth ministry? What is your calling story?

“Then came a time when to have a bicycle, and to have learned to ride it, and to be at last spinning along on one's own, early in the morning, under trees, in and out of the shadows, was like entering Paradise. That apparently effortless and frictionless gliding - more like swimming than any other motion, but really most like the discovery of a fifth element - that seemed to have solved the secret of life. Now one would begin to be happy.”C.S. Lewis, “Talking about Bicycles”

Comments

[Erik Hartse]

Cuz!!! I don't know if you know this but my mom and I are going to be in the area because of Steven graduating and Tavia too. My mom wants us to spend a couple of days while I'm there if you aren't to busy. I'll be there the 5th of June and leave the 10th. Call me if you still have my number.

[Andy Jack]

I cannot think of a time when I did not love the church. The people of the church were my family—my spiritual caregivers—who partnered with my parents to raise me in a community of faith. The church has been the story of my life, running parallel to many of the most memorable events in my life. The most memorable first in the church was my first experience with calling. One Sunday, a family friend told me, “Andy, God will make a pastor out of you someday.” Perhaps that was the moment at which enchantment took hold of me. I know my moment of enchantment with professional youth ministry was at the 1999 National Youth Worker Convention in Cincinnati – that is where I sat spellbound in Marko’s Critical Concern Course on Junior High Ministry. I was truly inspired to do junior high ministry with the rest of my life after that seminar!