Leadership Vignette

Encouraging Youth to Consider Ordained Ministry

A pastor discovers the importance of encouraging youth
to consider ordained ministry.

Because of a national denominational position I held, I was asked to serve on the planning team for a national event for young people to encourage them to consider responding to God’s call to ordained ministry. Our denomination had not had such an event for decades. We worried if enough youth would attend to make it worthwhile. We hoped for at least 500 participants. We had to cut off registrations after over 1,000 signed up.

The event was inspiring and encouraging. Many youth from that event went into ordained ministry and are serving today throughout my denomination. But I learned a valuable lesson out the experience.

It had been a long time since I had seen so many enthusiastic youth together for a church event. There were no youth from my congregation, but many of the youth I met there reminded me of youth from my church. In fact, I was so moved by seeing so many excited young people there, I began wondering if there might be such youth in my own congregation who were considering ordained ministry.

When I went back home, I went individually to two youth leaders in my church and asked them privately if they had ever thought about ordained ministry. To my surprise, each of them said, "Yes, I have."

I was both thrilled and saddened. I was thrilled about their openness to God’s call upon their lives. But I was saddened as I asked myself, “How many other young people like these two have there been in my churches over the past thirty years who needed me to encourage them.

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