Church is more than an hour a week service. It is a body of believers growing in the Lord and encouraging others along the way.
This is the first of two posts dealing with the subject of ministering and teaching the younger men and women. May we be encouraged to pray for and be a godly influence in the lives of others.
Here are some ways to minister to a young man in your church, whether he’s a teen or young adult:
- Intentionally and strategically pray for him. How many young men in your church have no one praying for them unless they’re in trouble? Break this pattern by choosing to pray for a brother before he makes a mistake.
- Work with your student minister to connect to a young man with no other male influence. Broken marriages carry consequences, and teenagers often pay a price for adult decisions. Just a few minutes with an adult Christian male who cares can make a difference for a young guy.
- If he’s married, surprise him and his wife with a gift card to a restaurant. Young men need date nights with their spouses, but sometimes they let financial difficulties get in the way. Help out a young guy by providing a meal. He’ll probably do that later for someone else when he’s financially able.
- Take a walk with him. That probably sounds too emotionally driven, but here’s the point: if you’re willing to just hang out with a young man, I’m certain you’ll find somebody who’s been waiting for such an opportunity. Go to a game together. Share a hobby. Take a camping trip. Hike together.
- Invite him to a weekly breakfast, and challenge his spiritual walk. You might be the only person who’s ever cared enough to ask about his walk with God.
- Help cover the costs for an Internet filter. It’s no secret that many young men struggle with pornography. Help at least one young man win this battle by sharing the cost for a filter and accountability system.
- Offer him odd jobs for additional income. Some of the best mentoring relationships I’ve had with young men began when I employed them to cut the yard, help with repair work, or paint a room. They get a few dollars, and both of you get a relationship.
- Invite him to help you in ministry. Whatever you do in your church, invite a young man to walk with you, assist you, and learn the role. That seems, in fact, to be a biblical way to raise up new leaders.
- Start a 1:3 mentoring program. A “1:3” program is one man (you) investing in three other young men who are friends. You triple your output, and the young men sharpen one another in the process.
- Answer the questions you wish someone would have answered for you as a young man. For me, the questions were many (in fact, I've written about those desired conversations). How do I overcome pornography? How do I choose the person to date? What major should I take in college? How do I read the Bible? How do I find a job? Don’t always wait for the question – just address them in the context of a God-given relationship.
