By Adam McLane  A lot of people struggle to describe youth ministry's value to a local church. You hear people say things that make youth workers cringe. Statements like, "It's so nice to see the youth serving adults." "Can the youth come to my house and rake leaves?" My personal favorite is, "It's so good to see the future of our church secure." I could go on but I'm sure you get the idea.

While youth workers bemoan those statements of our life's work as demeaning, I think many of us misread them. Our ears hear 'the only value I see in your ministry is that kids come to church or that they are helpful to old people'. I think we often miss that those are typically statements, albeit poorly expressed, in which the speaker is proclaiming that they see the value in your ministry. 

First, let me speak some truth to you. Your value to your local church or ministry gets recognized far beyond the praises of your boss or women with excessive eye shadow. I am convinced that Jesus sees the day-to-day value of your ministry, the life you breathe into the church, and He is well pleased with your ministry. In fact, no one appreciates your ministry better because He sees all angles, all phone calls, all the battles... He knows it all and He loves that you keep serving His kids!

Second, let me translate those earthly statements to you in a new way.

Ephesians 2:1-5 says to the church, "You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions."

Often what those cringe-inducing statements are recognizing is that your ministry is literally bringing fresh air into a place that has forgotten what it was like to be dead in transgressions. It's an acknowledgment that the new believers among you bring a fresh vibrancy, life, and enthusiasm to a church/ministry that may have grown stale. It's recognizing that there is tremendous life and fresh air in seeing those who were dead come alive in Christ. 

While those people may not even have the communications skills to properly say it, they are recognizing that your ministry is bringing the Gospel to life in their midst. People who are freshly alive in Christ naturally bring newness like the first buds of crocus in Spring or the first hint of a warm breeze after a long Winter. 

That's what those statements mean - they are, in all reality, back-handed compliments. It's part of our role to take statements from both adolescents and 'old' people and flip the script to help everyone understand one another. As adults who pastor students, one valuable role we own for both generations is to point out what God is doing.  Imagine the life that can emerge from this understanding!