God chose parents to be the primary spiritual influencers in thier kids' lives - for good or bad.  Even though parents shouldn't oursource this primary responsibility to the church, as youth workers we can pattern our ministries after the example set by good parents.

Paul himself did that, as he explains in 1 Thessalonians 2:7: "But we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her children." This is the ministry of grace and acceptance.  "We dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children," he continues in verse 11, "encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory."  These are the ministries of affirmation, presence, and instruction in Christian service.

Notice the order of these ministries, which is not insignificant.  Grace and acceptance come first, followed by affirmation, presence, and finally, instruction in the Christian faith.  In youth ministry (as in parenting), there's a tendency to skip the first four and move quickly to the instruction.  But Paul knew better.  Good parents and good youth workers sow seeds of faith in fertile soil that has been cultivated by the hard work of spending time with teenagers and loving them gently into a relationship with God.

- Wayne Rice (Taken from a recent article in GROUP magazine)