I have a friend and colleague who works exclusively as a minister to and with junior high and high school youth. I confess that there was a time when I thought that such a job would be pretty interesting. I had enjoyed my own time in youth group, I loved camp and outdoor ministries. I had done an internship as a youth minister in a large church and enjoyed the activities and the joys and trials of working with youth.

Of course several things have changed, not the least of which is the simple fact that I am older. Still, I enjoy youth ministries and I have been involved in some form of youth ministry for my entire career.

But when I look objectively at my friend’s ministry, I know that there are some things about my current job that I would deeply miss if I were to be called to a ministry like his. For one thing, he works with so many youth that almost all of his ministry is with groups - usually fairly large groups. He rarely has time for significant individual conversations with the youth. He understands how they act when they are participating in groups, but doesn’t know them at the family level. He rarely gets to know the individual hopes and dreams and intentions of the youth with whom he works. His is a ministry of programs and events. He is constantly planning events. He knows how to arrange food, transportation, and logistics. He knows about parental permission forms and permission to treat forms. He knows about insurance and how to change the syrup bottles in a Coke dispenser.

There is prayer and Bible study and worship in his work, to be sure, but for the most part, he is working at innovating and discovering new ways to do those things that engage the youth. His is a world of video projection, sound systems, Twitter, Facebook, text messages and social networking.

The other thing that would be a challenge for me and youth ministry these days is how quickly the youth pass through the programs. My colleague has a few youth that he sees for seven years. Most are involved in his program for four years or less.

One of the joys of the job that I have is the joy of watching young people become adults. I get to know them as they continue their journeys through college and beyond. I get to officiate at weddings of people who were once youth in my group. I get to baptize their children.

Having young adult friends is one of the blessings of my life. And I was reminded of that blessing last night when the young adults of our church gathered for a supper. They don’t need my input, but they are gracious and invite Susan and I to participate in many of their activities.

First of all, these are really neat people with fascinating and interesting lives. It is a joy just to listen to them talk about the things they are doing. They have fascinating hobbies and interests. They are a group as diverse as any other group in our church. They have different perspectives on politics, they have different likes and dislikes. They are touched by different kinds of music. Yet they enjoy being together in part because the other young adults have shared a journey of faith and church involvement with them.

They don’t do church the same way as their elders. But they definitely know how to be the church for each other.

Having said all of that, it is important that I not be making judgements about other ministries. I am well aware of how important a few months can be in a person’s life. A single contact can change everything. As disciples of Jesus we have to remember that his entire span of ministry was only about 3 years. He lived the love and grace of God in such a way that every generation that followed has been able to understand and contact that love and grace in ways that were previously impossible.

There is plenty of good ministry that is done in a specialized context. There are opportunities for genuine Christian community in groups that are constantly changing.

Furthermore, the coming and going of people that is inherent in specialized youth ministry is also a very real part of the ministry of the church. It is important to remember that although we think of ourselves as an established church, our membership profile has shifted radically. There was a time when the majority of the church had been members more than a decade and a third of the church had belonged for 40 years or more. This is no longer true. About half of our congregation have been members for less than a decade these days. People come and go at amazing rates. Some of our people participate in our church for a while, fall out of active participation and return. We have folks who have gone to other churches for a few years and then returned. We have folks who actively participate in multiple congregations. There are so many different patterns of church membership and participation that we are continually saying “hello” and “goodbye.”

Just like my colleague who works in a specialized youth ministry, I have had to learn to be an honest and genuine presence in the moment, to proclaim the gospel freely in the best way I can with the people who are present, to reach out in whatever ways I am able, to give God thanks that we are able to be a part of the spiritual journey for some people, and to pray Godspeed to those who are moving on to other phases of their faith journeys.

My friend’s work and mine are more similar than different. We are pilgrims on a similar journey and partners in a common ministry.

And along the way there are many moments like we shared last night - moments of seeing the grace of God and the presence of Christ in the face of the people we serve.

In God’s economy we always receive more than we give.