![\"Youth](\"https:\/\/jonathanbrooker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/Youth-Ministry-Communicators.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIn the days following a youth service I\u2019m always wondering whether the sermon I gave stuck or not. I worked hard (usually) to prepare a message that would bring the truths of the Word of God right to where these students are at in life. The idea is that this stuff should apply immediately to where they\u2019re going to be at that week, in most cases. But what I\u2019ve found in my years of youth ministry is that I\u2019ll never be as good of a communicator of these messages as my students can be.<\/p>\n
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That\u2019s right! The 8th grade guy with the slight case of acne and a voice that changes pitch three times in one sentence can be a better communicator than me. And so can the 11th grade girl who uses \u201clike\u201d more than a hummingbird uses its wings.<\/p>\n
The reason I believe it\u2019s absolutely true that students can be youth ministry\u2019s best communicators is because with them it\u2019s way more than just words. What I mean is this: Let\u2019s say I preach a sermon on the importance of controlling our anger and using it for good rather than evil. That\u2019s great! I\u2019ve essentially given the material to work with. But what matters is what\u2019s then done with that material.<\/p>\n
If Tyler still blows up at his dad later that week and his sister sees it, then the message is clear: There\u2019s no reason to control your anger or use it for good when you can just as well go off on somebody.<\/p>\n
But say Tyler takes the frustration he has from talking to his dad and prays about it. Then he comes back and talks to his dad calmly about what was making him so upset. Then his whole family hears and sees this: There are better ways to handle frustration then just blowing up.<\/p>\n
The same goes for any<\/i> message I may ever<\/i> preach. I can say all the words, but what matters are the actions. And I certainly won\u2019t be in every classroom, in every car ride, at every party, in every house, or in every conversation. But that\u2019s where the messages are best communicated – in everyday life. Then it moves from theory to real action. It goes from being a cute sermon to a real change.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s great is that all of this is within the power of the average student that sits in a youth service and hears a message. It\u2019s up to him or to her what they\u2019ll do with what they hear. Sure it\u2019s easy to let it go in one ear and out the other. But there are people who need to hear and see and experience these truths in real-life contexts and the only way that\u2019ll happen is if it\u2019s lived out.<\/p>\n
So to every student who happens to walk into a youth ministry on a regular basis, let\u2019s just get one thing clear. Your youth pastor may be funny, may be smart, may be creative, and may seem like the best communicator ever. But when it comes to sharing the gospel and what it means to follow Christ to your <\/i><\/b>friends, there\u2019s no better communicator than YOU<\/b>! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"