As a former youth minister, I remember how my Edge core team dreaded small group time. At a point, it became such an obvious frustration that I decided to investigate the cause of this hatred by leading the small groups myself. One Edge Night, I donned my “Small Group Leader”

Affirmation is one of the Life Teen Core Values. We need to affirm each other, especially those in our life which we couldn’t do ministry without- ie. Our core members.

I always think about how Jesus would react to middle schoolers. Every time they misbehave, I imagine that Jesus would say to them, “You have no idea all that I have done and will continue to do for you.” And so I aim to love them just as Christ does.

I worked in church ministry for a long time, positioning my involvement in proximity to middle school youth ministry. (I have the evidence documented in retreat and camp T-shirts.) I was just close enough to develop a genuine appreciation for the youth ministers and core members but not close enough to commit to a year-round official association with Edge.

Not only did I fail at caring for my body nutritionally, but I’d quickly get lost in my day and forget to prioritize prayer. You guys! I had an adoration chapel steps from my office door, so what made it so hard to make the time to be with Jesus? If I didn’t hold myself to this perfect standard, I’d just let the ball drop more quickly. “Oh, I didn’t make it to the chapel last week, so I guess this is my new expectation of myself.”

Love. Kindness. Compassion. Acceptance. These should be foundational attributes in every youth leader. We walk into parish halls, meeting rooms, and youth rooms with an immense responsibility to find love in all of the young people we minister to and empower them to continue to find love in others.