What can Philemon teach us about youth ministry? More accurately, what can the relationship between Paul and Onesimus described in the Book of Philemon teach us about youth ministry?
The Text
I invite you to dedicate two to three minutes of this 10-minute column to reading the Book of Philemon from your Bible. It’s a short book (one chapter), but you and your group can get a big impact from this little book.
As you read, see what you notice about the following:
a. the key players in this book: Paul, Onesimus (pronounced Oh-NESS-eh-muss) and Philemon
b. Paul’s use of words pertaining to fellowship such as: sharing, partnership and fellow.
Got it read? Great. Moving on. Philemon is a quirky little book that’s lauded for providing insight into life in the early church, but it’s more than early-church background. It’s a vibrant example for how living and sharing the gospel with each other encourages transformation.
Think About It
When Paul used fellow, he was expressing the idea of “sharing with.” In this letter, he spoke of a fellow soldier, a fellow prisoner and a fellow worker. Taking a cue from Paul, we should be creating fellow burden carriers as we minister even from our teenage ministry charges, just as Paul did with Onesimus.
Onesimus arrived at Paul’s prison door, either having run away or been sent away, as a young slave and it probably wasn’t a happy greeting. If you’ve seen the animated film Up, I’m picturing the old man’s reaction of frustration when he discovered the stowaway Boy Scout-type on the porch of his floating house. Paul was old and apparently had a comfortable prison/house-arrest routine—writing letters and receiving guests who refreshed him. This was interrupted by the arrival of this lazy, young slave; but Paul takes him in, and something wonderful happened to Onesimus.
Upon Onesimus’ arrival Paul described him as “useless,” perhaps a poignant play on the meaning of the name Onesimus, which is “useful.” After just “a little while,” Onesimus came to be described not only as “useful,” but as a “son,” even being Paul’s “very heart.” Wouldn’t you like to know what happened to bring about that change? A prayer, directed at Philemon and the church that met in his home, gives us a clue:
“I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ” (
This prayer, as well as the entire Book of Philemon, gives us a ministry action that delivers Onesimus-grade transformation: partnering with others in the faith, which deepens understanding of everything we share because of Christ. Paul brought Onesimus into his personal mix of life and faith, living the gospel and doing life with Onesimus against a backdrop of prison and other hardships.
This partnering deepened Onesimus’ understanding of every good thing he shared with Paul for the sake of Christ. When our understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ deepens, we can’t help but grow in faith. This deepening was obviously transformative.
Application
Every year in youth ministry a fresh batch of “Onesimuses” shows up at our door. If we’re honest, we may see some as “useless.” Let’s invite all students into our personal mix of life and faith. Let’s partner with them in the faith against the backdrop of our lives—the hardships and the joys, the moments of doubt and the “Aha!” moments, the tears and the laughter. This will deepen their understanding of everything we share because of Christ. Then after “a little while,” we will describe these students as our fellow workers, fellow soldiers and our “very heart.”
