Sometimes I wonder why I’m in youth ministry.

Sometimes it feels like the most  useless job in the world. Every Wednesday  night, my kids show up, kind of sing  the songs, and fidget through a 20-minute Bible study. Then finally, we get  to the main event, at least as far as they  are concerned: volleyball. 

I honestly think that’s the reason most  of them show up. This brings to mind  some very serious questions, such as, do  they even care about spiritual stuff? 

I honestly wonder sometimes. I don’t  see that my youth-group teens have  much of a desire to study the Bible, or to  seek God’s will for their life, or for anything  other than simply showing up and  being entertained.

MORE THAN VOLLEYBALL

I know that I’m not the most dynamic of  speakers. I also know I tend to be a little  long-winded (after all, I am Baptist). So, I try to keep the Bible study part under 20  minutes when possible.

But the complacency my students have about spiritual things is not just a

Wednesday night thing. I see it in Sunday School as well, and at Sunday night home groups.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I wish these kids would stop showing up. Most of my kids come from rough home lives and have little or no church background. The spiritual side of thingsis very new to them. But even in the few “church kids” I have, I still don’t see a desire for God.

I wonder if Jesus ever felt this way about his followers. I wonder if He ever got tired of the crowds who followed Him and sat through His teachings without caring only so they could see His next miracle. I wonder if He ever got tired of His disciples’ lack of understanding of most of the things He said to them.

JESUS NEVER GAVE UP

Regardless of whether the crowds and the disciples frustrated Jesus, Scripture clearly shows that He never gave up on them. Think of Peter. Jesus never gave up on Peter, no matter how many times  he completely missed the point.

Student ministry is not an easy thing.  Kids are frustrating. They’re fickle.  They have microscopic attention spans.  But they are also tomorrow’s pastors,  scientists, CEOs, and entrepreneurs.  We can’t give up on them, no matter how  many times we may think about it.

One of our Sunday School teachers  likes to say, “At least they’re hearing the Bible. Maybe they’ll take something from it.” I pray that despite their fidgeting and  blank stares, they do take something with  them: the knowledge that God loves  them and so do we and that He will never  leave them, and we won’t either.

So I will keep on preaching the Word  to them. After all, at least they’re hearing  it—and God promises that when His  Word goes out, it won’t return empty.

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Kyle Bueermann is youth pastor  at First Baptist Church in Kermit,  Texas. His wife, Michelle, lets him  enjoys PlayStation 2, paintball,  and Texas Rangers baseball.