Leading the Next Generation to Serve God

It is truly awesome to serve God! Whether your position of service is full-time employment or volunteer service at your church, I’m sure you know exactly what I mean. Any Christian who serves the Lord in any capacity will tell testify of the many blessings received for the opportunity to do so.

I’ve met many faithful people who have taught Sunday school, sang in the church choir, served as an usher or even held leadership positions for more than 25 years. This type of longevity comes from a heart full of love for the Lord and the lives of these servants have shown that. Yet, as I have watched some of these amazing Christians serving faithfully, I’ve wondered who will take their places of service some day when they can no longer fulfill their duties or when the Lord calls them home to Heaven. This thought has caused me to stop and ask myself, “Whom will you hand the baton to when your race for the Lord in this life is over?”

If the next generation is to serve God with the same love, commitment and fervency as the past generation, it won’t happen by chance. My husband is an awesome pastor and he carries a burden for our young people to serve God all the days of their lives. Many young people somehow get the impression that the only way people serve God is by being a pastor, missionary or Christian schoolteacher. If that were the case, 99% of Christians wouldn’t have the opportunity to serve the Lord. Instead, he often stressed to our church family that God calls all of His children to be faithful, serving Christians 100% of the time and serve the Lord out of love, not duty. To help the younger Christians in our church family, he has implemented several ideas to encourage them to get involved and serve.

Leading the Next Generation to Serve God

1. Pray for Them.

   Satan longs to get his hands on our kids. We must keep them surrounded by our prayers and constantly lift them to the throne of God’s grace. Add them to your prayer list and pray for them.  Periodically tell them you pray for them and ask if they have any special requests. You might be surprised by the burdens they carry. Your prayers can make a difference!

2. Lead By Example.

   Are you serving the Lord? Now, you’ll notice I didn’t ask if you have served the Lord, as in past tense. How about today? What are you doing to set the example for the next generation to follow?  You may not be able to do all you once could, but there is something you can be actively doing to serve God now. If you’ve been out of service for a while, ask your pastor or pastor’s wife for a place to serve and I’m sure the Lord has just the task for you.

3. Emphasize the Blessings of Serving.

   It truly is a blessing to serve our Lord. We should be openly testifying before others and speaking of the blessings of God to them. Share how God has led and used you. Don’t gripe about serving and criticize others and how they serve.  Stay positive and refuse to be negative.  The next generation must hear of the stories of God’s goodness and how He has used ordinary people to do extraordinary things.  We love to emphasize this when we have visiting guest speakers or missionaries at our church. We want our children to hear about the mighty works of God and know of the blessings that have come from Him through His servants.

4. Find Ways For Them to Serve Now.

   My husband has developed many great ways to get our younger members serving in the church. Every Sunday night, we allow our young men to serve as junior ushers and assist with the offering and seating. Our head usher, Ron, trains and teaches them how to handle the offering time and sets a great example of faithfulness of them to follow.  Many of the younger girls help with the music ministry during the evening service. The women who regularly sing have the girls join them and follow their musical lead.  Following the services, we have a team of young men and boys who help clean up the church and lock down the facility.  As a team, several children help clean the auditorium, straighten the pew supplies and refill offering envelopes.  On Saturday workdays our teens do special projects around the church and help with grounds cleanup.   There are many other projects and special events where the youth are actively serving God now at our church. Be creative! I’m sure there are many areas in your church where the younger people can get involved. If we wait until they are adults for them to begin serving, the devil will make sure they are too busy when the time comes. Capture their youthful excitement and get them involved now.

5. Encourage Their Efforts.

   Be generous with your praise and encouragement! Every effort to serve God should be important. Don’t criticize and tell them everything they do wrong. Find the good and put aside perfection. As they practice and gain experience they will get better at the tasks put before them. A pat on the back or a kind word goes a long way with a young person.

6. Mentor Someone to Serve.

   As you look around at church, do you see a young person that reminds you of yourself at that age? Is there someone the Lord has placed on your heart to encourage and train in ministry? At our church we encourage the older women to teach the younger women and the older men to teach the younger men. This is God’s plan and guess what? It works! Over the past several years I’ve watched as the faithful, experienced servants in our church family have mentored the younger Christians. Now it’s exciting to see them take their places in ministry along side their mentors.   Ask the Lord to show you the person who needs your encouragement and guidance. When you invest your life in leading the next generation to serve the Lord the dividends are eternally priceless!