Last month I read an article by Josh Griffin about raising kids in ministry and it really got me thinking.  If you want to read his article you can by clicking here.

Obviously it has kept me thinking, since I am posting my thoughts over a month later.  Truthfully this is one of the things that almost kept me out of youth ministry completely.  As I “fought” with God about what He wanted me to do with my life, the fact that I grew up with several PK’s as close friends effected me.

Several years and three boys later I am very glad I finally gave in and pursued youth ministry.  This picture is of me and my three boys at one of our youth events this summer.  I was afraid of the negative side of them growing up as pastor’s kids, but there are some major upsides too.

They are surrounded by awesome people!

The students that are in our lives are awesome people, and I value the time my boys spend with them whether at the church, at our house, and everywhere else we all hang out.  But they are also surrounded by some very awesome adults as well.  The other church staff, the adult youth staff, the children’s ministry staff, and so many church members are people I love for my boys to be around.

They can be with me at work!

Yes, as a pastor I work a lot of hours.  But I also realize that for many of those hours my family can be with me.  If I was punching a clock somewhere else that would not be the case.  I also have flexibility with my office time and can do stuff (like go on field trips) that other Dads just simply can’t do.

They are learning as they grow up!

They see and watch incredible life lessons play out in from of them.  Obviously I am careful with what I expose them to, but my hope is they can learn from other’s now and avoid some of these things in their own lives later.  I have told my boys more than once, (and will again) that our family does things different than some of their friend’s families.  We base our decisions on the Bible and God and the role He has put us in.

For me, my youth pastor role and my Dad role mix quite a bit, and I love it!  No matter if you are a youth worker or not, the role you play as a parent is HUGE, do you take it seriously enough?