grad school essays

What are the highlights of your personal history with God?

At age 14, I publicly accepted Jesus Christ into my life, an act more likely motivated by what I was getting myself out of – Hell – than what I was getting myself into – a loving and fruitful relationship with my delightful Savior. I celebrate my “spiritual birthday” on January 31st each year.

Pine Haven Christian Assembly, a small Christian camp in northern Minnesota, was both where I first felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me and also the place that “mentored” me over the years. I would be dismissing an important highlight of my history with God if I did not mention my camp or the conversations I had with God beside the lake at night or my incredible time spent with Him there in a field, feeling crushed by His beauty.

This same camp is the place I discovered I enjoyed teenagers when I was a week-long camp counselor in 2001; it was like another baptism, entering the week as one person, uncertain of the entire enterprise, and leaving it as another, one who loved teenagers and desired to spend her time with them. It sounds extreme to say it this way, but it really was an incredible turnabout.

Another milestone in my life occurred shortly after that summer, during my second year of college when I was attending a Christian fellowship group at the local state university. We were discussing how the sheep of John chapter 10 know their shepherd’s voice. I wondered aloud what it meant if I didn’t know what my Shepherd’s voice sounded like. My Bible study leader asked, “Where can you go where you know you’re hearing God’s voice?” I pretentiously answered, “The Bible.” My leader responded with words that I have shared in messages with schools, youth groups, and camps: “Then read it. Get to know what His voice sounds like. Become familiar with it so that you will better recognize it when He speaks to you.”

Amazing advice! The Bible as a reference book transformed for me into God’s voice, Truth waiting readily to wash over my mind. I developed a greater hunger for the Word, and now I can say that I truly love the Bible. The practice of daily being in the Word, feeding on Truth, has been influential in shaping me into who I am, what I believe, and how I see God. It is what has allowed me to say confidently that I KNOW Jesus Christ.

What personal ministry vision does God seem to be leading you toward at this time in your life?

The framework of my ministry vision is established – love Jesus Christ with everything I am and disciple teenagers to love Him in the same way. I want to “proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that [I] may present everyone perfect in Christ” (Colossians 1:28). The skeleton of my ministry seems clear and strong, although the flesh on those bones has not yet developed in its entirety.

I feel a strong calling on my life to work with youth, and I am most interested in the areas of discipleship and mentorship. The integrity of the church is hurt by nominal believers who worship only on Sundays. In efforts to “present everyone perfect in Christ,” discipleship is key. I love where Paul, Silas, and Timothy say to the church of the Thessalonians, “We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.” I believe the combination of discipleship along with this “life-investment” – in the fashion of Paul with the early churches or of Jesus with his disciples – is worthy of deep exploration in the field of youth ministry.

I hope to learn as much as possible about effective discipleship of youth with an idea of developing a curriculum, small group Bible study, or personal devotional journal – or even a leadership academy – that intends to push teenagers to begin thinking about their worldview earlier than they typically would. I have a vision of molding teens through intense lifestyle discipleship into Christian young men and women who have full ownership of their faith, are daily in the Word, know their spiritual gifts and use them to benefit the body of believers, and are leaders among their peers.

Embracing my calling toward youth ministry, my heart for teenagers, my spiritual gift of encouragement, and my undergraduate degree in the field of writing, I intend to pursue higher education in youth ministry and let God flesh out my ministry vision. He has proven Himself to be faithful to me time after time, and I am stepping into this Youth Ministry Leadership program with many ideas but one goal – to love Jesus Christ and honor Him in whatever direction and path He leads me. I want to pursue His ministry vision for me, and I trust that He will define it as I proceed.

Ministry experience

I can detail various ministry experiences I’ve been blessed to participate in, but I want to be clear that I believe youth ministry is bigger than just saying, “I’ve helped out here and there, chaperoned this or that, spoken or taught or encouraged at such-and-such time.” My lifestyle and my vocation are to love Jesus and to love teenagers.

The closest I can pinpoint as the start of my ministry with youth is August 2001 when I was a volunteer camp counselor for a week. I can not overstate the importance of that week; in fact, people who met me during or after that week cannot imagine me the way I was before it. I have continued to enjoy that camp ministry for a week or so each summer since then, and I have been able to develop relationships with the campers that last throughout the year outside of camp, sometimes including visits, notes, phone calls, and other forms of encouragement.

My calling toward youth ministry became very clear when God led me to my current position as an admission counselor at Northwestern College in the fall of 2003. As a senior counselor, I am able to serve teenagers and their families as they face the intimidating college decision. My ministry involves that service but also much guidance and counsel as my involvement in the lives of my students intensifies. A large amount of our communication is done via the internet or phone, but I also travel to their high schools. In the fall and spring, I often share messages with Christian high schools and youth groups. I’ve also led workshops at the Minnesota Christian Teen Convention.

Finally, I am a volunteer youth leader and small group leader with the senior high students at North Haven Church in North Saint Paul, Minnesota. I assist with youth group evening activities, co-lead a small group of young ladies, and participate in group retreats and other events. But I believe that involving myself in the lives of these teenagers is much more effective ministry than our Thursday evening meetings.

Often that deep and REAL ministry occurs away from huge events and spiritual highs. Being in the Word of God with a student is real discipleship. Those daily activities where we combine the common with the celestial – encouragement over coffee, investigating Scripture in our homes, sharing our hearts over a meal – are what lifestyle discipleship is all about.