BUILD A FOUNDATION OF CONFIDENCE 

 

One night during an inner-city riot, a young girl woke up frightened by all the noise. Forgetting that her mother was still at work, she cried out. No one answered. After what seemed like an eternity, her mother came home. The girl told her mom how terrified she was.

            

“I know,” her mother said, “but remember—God is always here with you.”

            

“But mama,” the girl replied, “I needed someone with skin on.”

            

That’s how we want to serve on campus—to be the presence of God with skin on. Just as Jesus was the incarnation of God on earth, we are called to the same role (John 20:21). We want students to know who Jesus is and how He can change their lives, and God communicates that message through us—not just in words but in living out the message. As Joe Aldrich once wrote, “God’s communication strategy has always been to wrap an idea in a person.”[1]

            

Our goal is not just to meet students where they are. It’s to build relationships with them, demonstrate God’s heart for them, and share with them how they can know Jesus. 

            

The first time I walked onto campus as a youth leader, I had no idea what I was doing. Everyone could tell I was too old to be a student, and I was not dressed like a teacher. I felt as if everyone was staring at me. When I walked up to a group of students to introduce myself, they acted like I was contagious with a deadly disease. I went home feeling like a failure.

            

For some reason, the students didn’t care that I’d sacrificed valuable time to share eternal truth with them. In fact, they didn’t even care that I existed. I needed a crash course in self-confidence! 

            

Before building relationships with students, you must build confidence in who you are. Three key confidence builders will lay the foundation for meaningful connections with students. We have much to learn from Jesus about this. 

 

Know Who You Are

The story of Jesus’ encounter with a woman at a well in Samaria (John 4:1-42) gives us several clues about His ability to relate to people. One of the first things that we notice in this story is that Jesus had a firm grasp on His own identity.

            

When Jesus’ disciples came back with food, only to find Him talking with this Samaritan woman, they urged Him to have something to eat.

            

“I have food to eat that you know nothing about,” He told them (John 4:32). He knew His roots and His resources. Earlier in this Gospel, He called Himself the “Son of Man” and the “Son of God” (John 1:51; 3:16-18). He knew where He came from and where He was going.

            

To have the proper degree of confidence around students, you must know who you are. You are not a teacher, administrator, student, coach, staff member, or security guard. Even as a volunteer, you aren’t just a volunteer. People may look at you as though you’re from another planet, but you are from another kingdom. You’re an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20), a child of God, “chosen to declare the praises of the one who called you out of darkness and into the light” (1 Peter 2:9). Even when others don’t think you belong, God says you do.

 

Know the Significance of Your Mission

Jesus said His “food” was to do the will of the one who sent Him (John 4:34). His purpose was eternally inscribed on His heart. 

            

When you immerse yourself in God’s purpose for you, generally, and in His purposes in specific situations, everything else—including eating, as Jesus showed us—becomes secondary. That kind of intensity and single-mindedness attracts people, especially young people. They may not think about this specifically or ask you about it personally, but internally they are wondering what drives you. What would cause you, an adult with no particular job description related to the school, to hang out around them? Even if they don’t understand your sense of mission, they know there is something about you that causes you to be there with them. 

 

Know Who Is in Control

Jesus never had any uncertainty about Himself personally or about His mission. No concern bothered Him about what might happen if no one accepted His Messiah-hood. No anxiety distressed Him about whether people would like Him or not. He knew His Father started this work and would complete it. He knew God was in control. 

            

You will save yourself a significant amount of emotional stress if you realize that God started the work on your campus and will complete it, and that He has called you to join Him in it. No reaction from a student, teacher, or administrator will derail His purposes. He has a plan, and He wants you to participate in it. But, thankfully, you are not responsible for making everything work out. 

            

Your confidence is one of the most powerful and important aspects of your ministry. Be strong in your identity as a disciple of Jesus; know the significance of the mission He has given you; and believe that the Holy Spirit is both empowering you for this mission and will oversee what happens to bring about the results He desires.

            

Like Jesus, you will both survive and thrive on the food He has given you—and He will give you all you need to do the work of the One who sent you.

 

Next Steps

We encourage you to keep a notebook or journal of ideas, action steps, and resources that will help you advance your youth ministry. You can use the following questions and suggestions for brainstorming and developing your goals and plans. 

 

• Imagine walking on the campus for the first time with kids staring at you. Now come up with one Bible verse to memorize and carry with you that will remind you of who you are and what you are doing there. Some options include: Matthew 6:33; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 4:13; 4:19.

 

• Create a one-line “mission statement” for your campus ministry to help you remember the significance of why you are going there. 

 

Resources

• Go to barrystclair.com to download free:

–      Jesus No Equal

–      Jesus No Equal Journal

 

[1] Joseph C. Aldrich, Gentle Persuasion: Creative Ways to Introduce Your Friends to Christ (Portland: Multnomah, 1988), 49.