Keys to
Youth Ministry
Bishop Moussa
There are basic keys that open the door to the hearts of young people and which, with the grace
of Christ and the work of His Holy Spirit, make ministry to them easy.
+ Very simply, prayer is to bring God with us into the work thus
adding a divine, unlimited, benign and constructive energy to our limited
and inadequate capacity that is liable to lead to mistakes and to error.
+ Prayer opens up our lives to the life of God and opens up God's
life to us, bringing together the finite with the infinite. What a
miracle!
+ Prayer is the secret tie that binds the minister with God, obtaining
from Him strength, light, and guidance. It is the secret cord through
which the minister is nourished with the strength of the Spirit and the grace
of God.
+ Prayer prepares you as a minister to serve, gives you a message
that it is alive and effective. Prayer also prepares those who are
ministered to so the word of life might work in them bringing about their
repentance and salvation.
+ The minister prays before and during the lesson; he is filled by
and is in touch with God, asking for guidance and help. After the lesson,
he prays putting himself, the message, and the listeners into God's hands.
+ The minister prayers before he goes visiting so that the Lord
guides him to the needy souls. He also prays during the visit so that the
Lord might speak for the salvation of the listeners and fill them
spiritually. He also prays after the visit so that the work of the Spirit
might continue in the hearts of both the minister and those he ministers to.
+ The visit is a spiritual session with the one ministered during
which they sit at the feet of Christ. It is not a session between a teacher and
his student, for we are all disciples of Christ in constant need of learning.
One of the most important keys in the ministry is personal love to
the ministered. This includes:
+ knowing his name in full.
+ being aware of his circumstances so that you can support him and
pray for him.
+ standing by him in the various vicissitudes of life such as
sickness, death, failure in studies, and in all the different family and
personal problems.
That is why the minister must have a big heart that has no boundaries,
which is naturally more than humans are capable of. That is why he is
united with the Lord so that Love is poured into his heart through the Holy
Spirit (Rom.
He also needs to test and examine his love for those he serves,
whether it is a love in words or a love in deed; "Dear children, let
us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth" (
The love of the minister for those he serves should rise to the
level of spiritual love (agape), not merely human love (philia).
The love of God is present in spiritual love as is perfection, purity,
steadfastness and endurance. Human love, on the other hand, is limited,
deficient, fickle, and unable to endure or forgive. That is why the Lord
says: "Do not fear, for I have redeemed, you are mine"
(Is. ). He also said: "I know my sheep and my
sheep know me..." (Jn.
It is the basic key to the salvation of a soul. The Lord
spoke through the apostle Paul saying: "faith comes from hearing the
message, and the messages heard through the word of Christ" (Rom.
Thus, the chain consists of:
Sending the servants ------- witnessing to people ------- people hearing
the good news of salvation ------ believing it ------ calling on God to save
them.
The faithful servant:
+ reads the word of God every day
+ has a heart that is completely filled with it
+ preserves it in his mind and heart so that he does not sin
towards God
+ applies it to his daily life and conduct
+ offers it to other so they are saved through it.
He offers the word to others
+ as a living example ... "be an example"
+ in spontaneous conversations in his everyday life
+ in his sermons and during his visits
+ in tracts that convey the mind and love of Christ to youth
+ on cassette tapes
+ on video tapes
One of the most important keys in youth ministry is for the
minister to be skillful at conducting dialogues.
The Uses of Dialogue:
The Characteristics of Successful Dialogue:
A successful dialogue has the following characteristics:
Thus, you achieve a successful dialogue in which everyone is
focused on the subject under discussion. They share in expressing their
views and experiences, listen to the opinions of others, and arrive at a quiet
and comfortable conviction, as a fundamental preliminary to carrying out the
agreed upon decision, to the building up of the individual and the group.
An important final key is for the young people to participate in
their meetings:
+ in choosing the subjects and speakers.
+ in choosing the various activities.
+ in working on various committees for parties, trips, visiting, prayer,
inviting speakers, ministering to those in hospitals, the sick, the
handicapped, orphanages, organizing bazaars, plays, various studies (Biblical,
ecclesiastical, hymns, the Coptic language, cultural, national, etc.)
+ using their talents whether artistic, literary, musical, social,
athletic, or scouts activities.
+ contributing by making suggestions, expressing opinions, making
decisions, and implementing them in all the aspects of their service.
+ sharing in the youth platform
+ participating in youth conferences and festivals.
This participation develops their personalities and forms
them. It makes use of their energies and keeps them from going
astray, firmly establishing them in the Lord and the Church and making of them
the ministers of the future.
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