It was the year 1806. Five Williams College students, inspired by the Second Great Awakening, gathered for prayer. While they were meeting, a thunderstorm broke out, causing them to seek shelter under a haystack. It was there, through the fervent prayers of five youth, that the first official U.S. foreign missions organization was formed, an organization which commissioned many prominent missionaries. It later gave birth to the Global Ministries of the Restoration Movement, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, the Student Volunteer Movement-2, and more.
Stories like the Haystack Prayer Meeting energize me for youth ministry. While many in today’s church are focusing on the negatives about the upcoming generation – the claims that they are silly and self-absorbed, lazy, corrupted by consumerism, and in danger of apostasy once they leave for college – I see a much different picture. I see tremendous Kingdom potential. I see history makers and world changers, and I believe that’s what God sees in our youth as well. He gave Daniel and his friends the confidence to withstand all of the persecution Nebuchadnezzar had to dish out. He gave young David the power to defeat a giant with a slingshot, as well as the promissory reign over all of Judah. He spoke to young Samuel in the middle of the night, entrusting him with critical prophetic words. He fed five thousand plus people through the lunch of one faith-filled child. If that isn’t enough, He even entrusted the birth of our Savior with two teenagers, Mary and Joseph. So I echo Paul’s admonition to every young Timothy out there:
“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”
1 Timothy 4:12 (New Living Translation)
I plead with every adult church member and leader: Let’s give our students a chance to be the “example” that Paul speaks of. Let’s encourage them to discover and use their gifts for the Kingdom.
During my season of youth ministry, my goal was to create an environment where students from across the community could gather for consistent weekly discipleship, consisting of engaging small group discussion, vibrant worship, genuine fellowship, and playful recreation. I placed a strong emphasis on our student leadership program. At the beginning of the school year, interested students took a student leadership class. They were then assigned special responsibilities according to their identified gifts. I had a worship leader, a communications leader, a hosting leader, a tech leader. I had students who taught large group, led small group discussions, and planned outreach events. I identified a “student leader of evangelism” who, shortly after getting baptized, relentlessly shared her testimony and passed out Bibles to friends at school. I was so awestruck when I could just stand back and watch our student leaders use their gifts to lead the entire youth service.
All we have to do as the church is be a safe and encouraging environment, a “haystack” if you will, where students can be propelled into their God given mission.
The Middle Ground 