The Importance of Youth Ministry

Years later, these people have shaped my life so profoundly -- probably far more than any single pastor who ever preached a sermon. They were the youth pastors who personally ushered dozens of rebellious, culture-shocked teens through the turmoil of conflicting values prevalent in the late 1960s and 1970s.

The first couple to serve was Jack and Patricia Trittipoe, whose lay-ministry to our rowdy group extended to bringing a van load of raucous teens to frequently eat barbecue and play games in their basement. Jack shuttled me and many of my friends to camp, weekend retreats and "Formal Dinners" (the Baptist compensation for frowning on Prom attendance). I am forever grateful for Jack's honest baring of spiritual foibles and the biblical solutions he applied during an era where spiritual leaders often assumed airs of Teflon spiritual superiority, instead.

Marge and Jim Emery (left) were called as full time youth ministers in the early 1970's. They were gifted musicians who  expanded Ridgewood Baptist Church's repertoire to include the Gaithers' (NEW at the time!) and Paul Overstreet's modern country contributions. I'll always remember Jim and Marge singing "Unanswered Prayer" as a hymn, years before Garth Brooks made it a secular hit. I was struggling with a couple of unanswered prayers at that time; the idea that I would later consider such pain a blessing helped pull me through the darkness of disappointment.

The youth choir the Emerys started brought a new dimension to church services. It was great to be given a voice in ministry before I was "old". Jim could be stern and direct when addressing a situation, whether one of musical pitch or of discipleship concerns, but he did so a gentle spirit of love and biblical truth. Finally, they hosted several summers of volleyball games, pizza, activities, trips and devotions that became the highlight of those steamy Illinois weeks. They called it "TAB Time" for Teen Age Bible Time. It was great!

From these faithful servants, I learned that real friends tell the truth in love, usually with an open Bible in hand. They demonstrated through their lives that simple godly activities bring real joy and contentment, while the world's fun needs constant escalation to remain exciting. And, finally, I learned that the first part of the body that grows old is the attitude... don't let it!