What Matters Most

Like many of my peers, receiving an education was something that was vitally important. This notion was passed down from my parents and reinforced by the Claremont sub-culture. As a result, it was inconceivable to do anything other than attend college after high school. I received my B.A. in 2006 and then, after a short break, I returned to school for my M.Div. I received my degree in 2010. While I was filled with pride over the accomplishment, I was not so naive to think that others shared in my pride. Nevertheless, I had put in the time to learn and study, and I saw myself as someone who was qualified to serve in ministry.

And perhaps, when you work with adults, experience and education are important qualities to determine if someone is qualified for a job. I work with students though. Students are not impressed with how many degrees you hold or what your GPA was. My students were consumed with matters of a more spiritual nature, such as the fact that I own a Xbox 360 and a Nintendo Wii. They were also impressed with the quality of my beard and my overwhelming baldness, but that's a conversation for another time.

So a word of a wisdom to all those considering ministry with students. Education is essential, and I am convinced that solid training and education is a critical part to serving in ministry, but at the end of the day, no one is impressed with where you went to school or what degree you got. But if you got a video game console (with 4 controller so they can play too), you can go anywhere in youth ministry!