I originally wrote this blog in 2010, when I was the Youth Pastor at Oneighty, in Tulsa. Oklahoma. It is still as relevant today as it was then. I hope this helps you in your leadership journey.
I became a full time Youth Pastor in January of 2000. That spring my Senior Pastor called me on the phone and told me to come to his office because he had something he wanted to give me. As I walked down the hallway my mind started racing.
What in the world is it?
Maybe he’s going to give me a raise. Maybe he is going give me more opportunities to speak on Sunday mornings or give me the position of Associate Pastor of the church. I couldn’t wait to see what my Pastor wanted to give me.
When I stepped into his office, my Pastor stood to his feet and said “Kevin, I have something to give you.” He reached out his hand and handed me a paintbrush and paint can. Then he told me “There is a church picnic this weekend, so I need you to go out in the field and paint the baseball backstop, so it looks presentable”.
I thought to myself, paint the backstop! Are you kidding me?
As I walked outside, holding the gift from my Pastor I remember thinking, “ I didn’t go into full time ministry to paint a fence. I didn’t become a Youth Pastor to do manual labor. I went into ministry to make a difference. I don’t need to be doing this, this is the janitors job.”
But, the more I painted the more I began to realize. Painting the backstop would be a janitor’s job, if we had a janitor. But we don’t. It’s just the Pastor and me.
He is the Pastor of the Church. He has a message to prepare. The backstop needs painted and I’m the only one that he can turn too. So, as I stood there in the hot sun painting that backstop, I began to pray, “Lord, I thank you for my Pastor. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve him, thank for allowing me to help him, so he can do what he needs to do.”
From that day on, I always looked for opportunities to serve my pastor. Sometimes, I did what some people would think are very menial tasks, things like setting up chairs, mowing the lawn, or taking a sick church member to the hospital.
But the more I served him in the small, the more my Pastor gave me opportunities to do the bigger things. Eventually, I did get a raise. I started preaching more on Sunday mornings, and even became the Associate Pastor of the church.
I can’t tell you how thankful I am for that paintbrush and paint can. Those two items taught me one of the greatest ministry lessons I’ve ever learned.
As a youth pastor, my job is not to build my own little kingdom, and look out for my own interest. No. My job as a youth pastor is to faithfully serve my leader, doing anything and everything I can do to free him up and to serve his interests, so together we can build God’s kingdom one family, one teenager, at a time.
Application Questions:
Who do you serve?
What is your attitude in serving them?
How often do you pray for them?
What can you do to serve them better?