While most of the students I've worked with may attest to a particular speaker or sermon as having been significant in their Christian journey, there would be precious few who could actually recount what was the topic of the sermon or the text of the study. And yet, it is these kinds of matters that seem to constantly preoccupy us in pastoral ministry. The Bulging Tummy Principle One of the frustrations of expectant fatherhood is watching the stomach of his pregnant wife for nine months and except for the huge bulge, there doesn't appear to be any sign of progress. Every now and then, Mom reports a kick or a move and this sets off gawks of anticipation. That waiting process is not unlike working with teenagers in ministry.
Youth workers spend a lot of time just waiting around.
Every now and then there's a kick or a move, and you start to get hopeful. But most of the time discipling teenagers is about praying, loving and caring for kids while waiting for God to work. And often it looks like nothing is happening. And then, of course, months or years later, through some prayer or passing comment or vow of commitment, we get a chance to see that the cumulative effect of those years of faithful nurture had a deep spiritual impact in the life of a student. One of the reasons that youth ministry has gotten such a bad rap in the church is that we want quick results.