Peer Ministry

                This last week I got to experience two separate events that involved students ministering to their peers. Though it’s not a new phenomenon, it is not as regular as it should be, at least in some of the youth ministry circles I know of. But one thing that time and time again has been proven is that a student’s story always seems to  have more impact than an adult’s story. Maybe it’s because they can see themselves in the situation, or because it’s shared in a messy way and not as articulate as we youth workers might make it. Whatever the case, when it comes to giving a testimony, peer ministry seems to have a deeper soul impact than when an adult does it.
             
                The first experience occurred during a prayer/worship night involving multiple youth groups. A youth worker friend of mine hosts these events about 4 times a year. The event involves youth from different churches taking part in almost every stage of the service. Multiple worship bands, students lead prayers, dramas and solos all make up the event. Two 15 to 20 minute reflections are brought by youth leaders, but for the most part it’s all student led.

                One of the obvious things that stand out is the fact that students seem to take ownership of these events even though they are not from the host church. By giving them the opportunity to minister to their peers, you can tell they are invested into the event. Not all the bands play flawless and not all the prayers spoken smoothly. There are moments of awkward silence and looking around to see whose next, but that is to be expected when you let students be a part of the service. Students don’t think about every tiny detail like we do, because they are preoccupied with their part. They don’t worry about the transition from band to speaker being flawless; they most likely just want to make sure they sing the right song. Whatever the case when you allow youth ministry to be about youth ministering, it’s going to be a little messy. But that’s okay because in reality we know that none of us have ever pulled off a flawless event. What the students got out of this was an opportunity to share their gifts and talents and be used by God to minister to their peers. Maybe they even encouraged other teens to step up and begin using their talents as well.

  
                The second experience was at a lunch time Christian club our youth ministry sponsors at a local high school. One of the things we do is provide food for students and occasionally bring a short message. With the school year coming to an end and testing and other things taking place the lunch times had been changing almost weekly. Well, on this particular day I was running late because of another change in the lunch time and I had to navigate through hundreds of hungry high school students while carrying four boxes of pizza. I almost didn’t make it alive. When I finally did arrive to the classroom one of the students was up front sharing. I set the pizzas down and listened to this high school student creatively weave a message about a tree growing out of the concrete on a sidewalk, King David and his own personal testimony. He shared how they all grew up in environments that weren’t really ideal to their growth, but preserving and trust in God got them through, just like the tree.  It was an amazingly powerful message and I’m not ashamed to say that I quickly pulled out my phone and took notes.
 
                Allowing students opportunities to share or minister to their peers may not be as flashy or smooth as we might be used to, but one thing I can testify to is that it is extremely effective. Look for ways to get youth to minster in your youth ministry. After all it is called “youth ministry”.

I’d like to hear some ways or suggestions you have in allowing youth to minister to their peers.