Youth Ministry Spotlight - HopePointe

How did you come into being a youth minister in an AMiA church?

Now that is an interesting question... Well, I was on staff at a large church in The Woodlands. It was fun going from a small student ministry of 12 to a large student ministry of over 175. My son was diagnosed with a medical condition and, well, I freaked out and left student ministry to get a "real job with real pay and benefits". I later realized this wasn't God's call for my life, ministry was. I entered a 5-year desert experience of not doing student ministry and I think it was God's way of confirming the passion while fanning the fire. WoodsEdge church (the large church I was student pastor at) and HopePointe (the AMiA church I am now at) have had a sister relationship for years. My wife Jessica was filling in leading worship from time to time and I came one Sunday to support her. I knew Clark Lowenfield from when I was at WoodsEdge because we had done some joint services together. That morning I asked Clark if I they needed anything thinking maybe some chairs needed to be set up or nursery or something and he answered "well we are looking for a youth pastor." Not quite the response I was expecting but one the Holy Spirit didn't let me walk away from. Clark and I met together a few times to discuss the possibility of joining his team. I at that time shared with him that God had put two names on my heart several months before that I had written down for potential mentors and he was one of the two. And as they say "the rest is history". I have been doing student ministry part-time for 1 1/2 years and have loved it. I am still learning the AMiA ways but it has been an exciting time.

What do you find as the most rewarding part of Youth ministry?

Nothing energizes me more than being around students that want to know God more and want to be used by him. I love that students tend to be open and honest. I love challenging students to grow in their relationship with God, while being one of their greatest fans.

Describe the community around your church and the overall "happenings" of your youth? (ie. Extra-curricula activities, school functions, etc.)

We have a very interesting community our church is planted in. The Woodlands area is mainly a more upper middle class to upper class planned community. Everything you need is contained in the community. I am rarely on the high way. The majority of our students live in this community. We have several families that come from smaller communities outside The Woodlands which are more middle class. These other communities tend to be more racially diverse as well. We are 30 min. from down-town Houston. The Woodlands area is very competitive in all areas of extra-curricula. From football, cross-country and baseball to academics. One year there were over 2 dozen students in the running for valedictorian. The pressures from parents, friends and community are high.

Is it a benefit to work alongside your wife in the ministry? What are some challenges this brings? (I also work with my wife at the church, answer carefully J!)

You know when I was on staff at the church before my wife and I did not do youth together like we do now. She would help host a leader's dinner at our house etc. Now she and I work hand and hand. She has great administrative gifts and I am the upfront, relational guy. We love doing ministry together. We value the size that we are currently at and trying to focus on the students God has entrusted us with while knowing God is growing our numbers that is not our focus. What I mean is we want to see more students come to Christ we just don't base our value on the size of our student ministry.

Describe for us the desire you have for the youth in your community? What is your hope for their futures?

Good question. I would love to have other student ministries in YAMIA partner with us with our eyeglass recycling outreach ministry. It would be a great cause to unite us together from all across the country. I challenge our students to think outside the box on how to reach their friends for Christ while constantly looking for effective ways to disciple this generation. I feel a real anticipation that God is going to unleash through the students we work with day in and day out.