What is interesting about my personal transition from school to full-time ministry is that I have already been in ministry for 4+ years. Unlike most students, I actually knew what I wanted to do when I started school and I have not altered my focus at all, and now I have over 4 years of history in what I am called to do. Now that I am graduating, all I have to do is seek the Lord about where I feel best fit to pursue this mission that the Lord has set me on for the youth of America. What I did not know about IHOP at the time of my entering school (and what IHOP didn't know) was that their student ministry was going to become entirely focused on church-planting in the schools of the city and of the nation. So actually, IHOP became my best fit as a place of ministry as their vision and values for youth ministry match what I feel called to do from the Lord. Obviously, this is no coincidence. Looking back, I can see how the Lord sovereignly set this up and made the perfect way for me to make the most impact and grow in the greatest ways. Yet, as I said, this was not what IHOP was doing when I joined. I have actually been working in the school in Kansas City much longer than IHOP has, yet now IHOP is exactly where the Lord has set me into ministry for this season.
So what does this look like? What is my role? Now that I am graduating, what am I doing? What am I raising financial support to do?
Now that I am graduated from IHOPU, I am joining full-time staff as a missionary at IHOP to work in the Student Ministries department. Not solely because I studied at IHOPU and have been here for years, but moreso because this youth ministry is one of few that actually share the same vision with me and have the means to really pursue it. It has been rare, in my searches, to find a youth ministry that targets the schools. Not at the fault of the youth pastors but at the fault of the typical church system. Most local youth ministries are modalities, suffering from much inward pressure that actually restrict their reach into the community. Few youth ministries are actually free to grow without pressure and with the means to branch out into the community. Yet the youth pastors I speak to love the vision of reaching the schools but in many cases they don't have the freedom from their church to do so. IHOP's Student Ministry, on the other hand, is completely free to reach out and almost entirely focused on the local schools. IHOP's Student Ministry is a missions base to the schools. If you've been following my ministry, you know this sounds like me.
So what will I do? I am, at this time, a local regional director of the High School Missions department. What in the world is that? There are many departments in Student Ministries, from the sumemr camps to the weekend services to discipleship and small groups to worship teams to the schools. High School Missions is a fancy title for the department that is mobilizing/equipping students and training them as missionaries and raising up prayer meetings on school campuses in a 100 mile radius of Kansas City. Basically, you could say I am a youth pastor who's primary focus is to train leaders and reach a certain geographic area. There are several regional directors who focus on reaching schools in different geographic areas, whom I am helping to train, as I have been doing this the longest. I am a part of a growing leadership team in the High School Missions department, and a part of a much larger leadership team in Student Ministries as a whole. I help lead at the weekend services, although there is another leader in charge of facilitating those, and I teach at the summer camp, although there is another leadership team in charge of the camp. My team is focused on reaching the schools, which is actually becoming the largest department in Student Ministries. Still at the center, is the prayer room. Every leader is still committed to the requirements of being in the prayer room and having a life in prayer. This culture of prayer creates an amazing workplace environment and amazing team.
Does it pay? Sometimes. There are some things that I may be paid to do, but everyone in Student Ministries raises their own support as missionaries like the rest of IHOP staff. Other IHOP departments may work with adoptions, build worship team, work with crisis relief, run events, teach in the school, etc., but everyone, no matter their department of service, is committed to the prayer room and everyone is required to raise their support. That's why they call IHOP a missions base. We're all missionaries. Raising support actually allows us the freedom to do what we're called to do (like reach the schools) and allows us to reach more people and provide resources for free! It is this same model that keeps the school's tuition at record lows to make it accessible to the students.
Lastly, what will this become? I am joining this leadership team much in its infancy. Strategies and curriculums are still being written, we're launching some of our first internships and working with our first class of students and first round of schools. In short, we are developing a model to be replicated all over the nation. Our goal is to effectively reach every school in a 100 mile radius and partner with churches to see prayer sustained in those schools (like little student-led church-plants), and our goal is to trumpet this message across the nation using Elijah Revolution conferences (our first one will be this month in L.A., CA). We want to see America turn back to God and we all know it starts with prayer and in the church, and I believe we can see a destructive youth culture transformed by praying in our schools. We're actually preparing for a massive move of God in our nation by establishing the prayer base. From there we're also developing a way to evangelize, receive and disciple large amounts of new converts, believing that the Lord really is going to answer our prayers and save the lost.
This is a very exciting time in history to be in youth ministry, where you have to minister with the return of Jesus on the horizon and a massive move of God imminent on your nation either in revival, judgement or both! It has always been my goal to be used by God to impact the next generation, and IHOP is where I can do that best! I am very thankful for all of our supporters who's prayer and gifts make this ministry possible! Thank you!
I hope this provides a little bit of clarity into what I'm doing : )
Amen.
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