By the Rev. Aaron Buttery, C4SO’s NextGen Leader
Summer is coming quickly. Here in a few days or weeks, students around our diocese and country will have more availability to connect, take adventures, share a coffee, or join a church-sponsored event. And you—C4SO’s student ministry leaders and youth pastors—will be there for them. Over the next 12 weeks, you and your cadre of amazing adult leaders will pour into the lives of the next generation with intention and intensity. You will shepherd them as they meet Jesus. You will walk with them on the journey of becoming more like the one who created them and loves them enough to call them by name. You will send them into the world on mission, with compassion and clarity.
It will be a lot. Exhilarating and exhausting. The faith of your students matters, and I want to personally thank you for living into the Kingdom in such a way that a young person knows they matter and their faith matters.
Leaders, your faith and your life with Jesus also matter. My orienting question for this summer is simple: How are you hoping to encounter Jesus this summer? It would be a tragedy to arrive in August and feel more separate from Jesus than you do today. How are you stepping into the love of Jesus to be refreshed by his Holy Spirit this summer?
I would like to offer three options:
1. Fast.
Set aside 24 hours each week to receive the abundance of God. This keystone practice is not based on performance, pass/fail, or pressure, but an invitation to sustenance, steadiness, and savoring the present reality of God. Find a trusted friend to begin your fast with you and to also be generous when your fast needs to end earlier than expected. If you would like, you can join me each Tuesday. I fast from Monday at sundown, or thereabouts, to Tuesday at sundown. I eat dinner both nights with my family, because a meal is such a crucial touchpoint, but we time it in such a way that I can (generally) get in 24 hours. This summer, perhaps fasting is the food for your soul.
2. Single-Task.
Ministry of all types, and perhaps especially student ministry, seems defined by multi-tasking. This summer, capture moments to single-task for the purpose of solitude and silence. These gifts may be practices on a retreat at a place like the Abbey of the Heights. Or grab 20 minutes of silence the day before a week-long event. Single-task by making the decision, even in the moment, to listen only to the voice of the Holy Spirit for 15 minutes or by stepping into a safe, quiet place to be alone with Jesus. You could take a short walk, a trip across town, or a nap in the middle of the day (and set aside the book you’ve been reading or the podcast you’ve been listening to).
3. Join a Band.
Soul care has two key relational aspects—joining the fellowship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit alongside the fellowship of others. 2 Timothy 2:22 invites us to band together for our life with God: “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” Banding together is about joining a micro-community committed to being more like Jesus together. It turns fasting into feasting and single-tasking into sharing. You can join a band right now with other student ministry leaders across C4SO and the ACNA.
Make this a summer of soul care. Fast. Single-task. Band together. Share your thoughts or express how you are making this a Summer of Soul Care here.
You matter. Your life with Jesus matters. If I can help or pray with you, please reach out.
Aaron Buttery leads and facilitates C4SO’s NextGen Leadership team and serves as Director of Student Ministry, Next Generation Leadership, ACNA. As a 20+ year NextGen ministry leader, a two-time church planter, and leadership coach with Spiritual Leadership, Inc., he is the primary contact in C4SO for questions, ideas, and excitement about young people and growing young leaders. Contact him at aaron@c4so.org.