Youth ministers are amazing people. They have to be able to connect with students on a personal level and provide a safe environment for them, all while teaching them about Jesus and how to live their best lives. Most importantly, they have to do it all with a smile on their face!
As you can imagine, this is not an easy job. So I would like to offer up some prayers for any youth ministers out there who might need some extra support or encouragement.
Powerful Prayers For Youth Ministers
1. Pray for wisdom
“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of His own body… make you perfect in every good work to do his will.” (Hebrews 13: 20-21)
As a youth minister, you have been entrusted with caring for some very precious children and young adults. Your task is not easy and it requires wisdom. Pray each day for wisdom to know how best to serve them and lead them; pray for wisdom to know how best to teach them; pray for wisdom to know how best to love them.
2. Pray for confidence
Prayer for confidence
Pray that your youth minister will find confidence in his or her abilities. Pray that he or she can be confident in his or her calling and that the Lord is using him or her to impact lives for Christ. Pray that he or she can be confident in you and your faithfulness to God, so that our youth may be encouraged by us.
Pray also that your youth minister finds confidence in himself or herself as a young person following Jesus and growing into adulthood under God’s care. Pray for him to have confidence that because of God’s grace and mercy, he has an eternal home with Him where there will be no more sorrow nor death; only perfect joy forevermore!
3. Pray for increased faith
- Prayer for increased faith: Faith is a gift from God, and it is absolutely necessary for salvation. As youth ministers, we must strive to have faith in our student’s lives so they can develop their own faith. Although the Bible states that “without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6), if you are anything like me, your level of doubt is sometimes high and overwhelming. Therefore, pray daily for increased faith in yourself, your students’ lives, and even your church community as a whole.
- Pray for patience: Patience may seem like an odd prayer request to include on this list; however, youth ministry needs patience more than most careers do because kids are often unpredictable. Praying regularly will give you the strength needed when facing difficult situations at work or at home with your family members or significant other(s).
4. Pray for patience
Patience is a virtue, and it’s one that youth ministers need to possess in spades. As you guide young people through their teen years, there will be many moments when they call on your patience—and sometimes even your grace. Here are a few reasons why patience is an essential quality:
- Patience helps youth ministers to remain calm during stressful situations. When dealing with difficult students or parents or other adults in the church building, it’s easy for emotions to run high and tempers to flare. But if you can keep your composure and respond with patience instead of anger or resentment, then you’ll be able to handle the situation better than if you’d reacted differently.
- Patience allows youth ministers time for reflection before responding negatively. Your students may think that they’re being reasonable about their demands for special treatment (or just plain for attention), but as we all know from personal experience, teenagers tend toward emotional overreaction at times—and when this happens in front of other people outside their immediate family members’ circle, sometimes those outbursts can lead into bigger problems later down the road (both personal ones such as grades dropping due to too much procrastinating while also having negative consequences socially since these actions could affect friendships). But if you’re patient enough not only to wait until things cool down first before taking action but also consider ways of responding positively rather than defensively then hopefully everyone involved ends up having happier outcomes overall because there wasn’t anything done hastily without thought beforehand.”
5. Pray for the love of their youth
Pray for the love of their youth.
Youth ministers are in a position to serve, but this is not always a two-way street. They need to be loved by their youth. They need to be loved by the congregation. They need to be loved by their families, friends, and colleagues as well.
We pray that God would give them supernatural love for the people he has placed around them so that they can do what’s needed in ministry with ease and grace!
6. Pray for greater reliance on the Holy Spirit
- Pray for greater reliance on the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is the one who leads us, teaches us, guides us, and comforts us. He knows what we need before we even ask Him. He’s an advocate and defender of your youth ministry efforts – so don’t be afraid to ask Him to help you!
7. Youth ministers need to be supported by the congregation
A youth minister needs to be supported by their congregation. They need the congregation to pray for them, encourage them and show up when they are needed.
The youth minister is like a shepherd who has many sheep that need feeding, shepherding, and caring for. This can be overwhelming at times but if you have enough people helping out then it will all work out fine.
Closing
As youth ministers, we have a unique job. We are tasked with helping students navigate the world and their faith in it. It’s hard work, but it is also rewarding work. Praying for your students helps you to connect with them on a deeper level. The more you pray for them, the more you will be able to see what is going on in their lives and understand where they need guidance most.