Teaching the Whole Student

'm a Student Pastor. The traditional title is "Youth" pastor, but Middle & High school students are my people group. Although, I do see that saying I'm a Student Pastor makes me sound like I'm a student who's also a pastor. There's nothing wrong with that I suppose, as I aspire to be a life-long student.

Anyways. Part of my work requires me to understand & love each individual student. Another facet requires me to be a generalist, so that no matter who walks through the door on a Wednesday night, I am ready to hear their story for the first time. In the process I've begun to learn a paradigm for teaching not simply to a caricature of who I think students are. It's a paradigm in process, but this is what my paradigm looks like so far:

Every student is made in the Image of God with experiences that form a personal story from which they find an identity that can only be made complete in Jesus.

This is my paradigm. Scripture teaches that every human being is made in the Image of God. You reflect God in a way that only you can. I reflect God in a way that only I can. We reflect God poorly because we are broken & need to be healed. This means every student & adult you ever meet is broken & needs healing, in one form or another.

Every student is unique because of their experiences, but they aren't an island to themselves. They have parents, or at least people who function as parents. Some come from great families, some need deep healing because of their family. Some students carry experiences that make them generally trusting. Others have learned not to trust anyone except themselves. You never know what a student has walked through until you talk with them. (Not at them.)

When you listen to a Middle or High school student, you begin to see the story of their world. Jim was an army kid. He grew up traveling around the world, changing homes & friends every 3 years. His story is a story of constant change & inconsistency. He has friends everywhere & roots nowhere. Every student has a story. It's the way they string together their experiences in a way that makes sense. (Yes, even Middle schoolers have a sort of proto-logic behind their stories!)

The joy of working with Middle & High school students comes from their phase of life. They are asking that eternal question, "Who am I?" They are opened up to a whole new world of the "relational" self. In Middle schoolers, a question buried in their minds is, "Do you like me?" It's fun to work with Middle schoolers. "Dude, I love your shoes!" Boom. You're in. You've made a connection with a student who just wants to belong. High schoolers are a little more tricky. They're asking, "Do I like you?" You have to commit to being consistent. They've wised up to the fact that most adults seem to not care. You have to prove that you do. But again, students aren't an island. Their personal identity will be formed by their family, culture, & school experiences. They'll try to find a role in their family & friends that fits into their story. If a Middle or High school student seems to change their identity quickly, it's ok. Their world is changing quickly. As a Student Pastor, it is a joy to walk with students as they begin to answer this question. They begin to see the need for a story & identity which matches their whole self.

It is here that Student ministry does it's work for the Gospel. We get to walk with students and teach to the whole student. As I said, I don't really have my whole paradigm figured out yet. But, here's what I see as the 4 Zones of their whole world:

(1) The Relational Self (Hugs) - This relates to what role they have in each kind of personal relationship (son, daughter, friend, student, boyfriend, girlfriend, employee, teammate, etc.). The nature of boundaries is huge in this part of oneself, as one's role does not make it clear how much/little to let someone in. Even the deepest relationships need boundaries to grow!

(2) The Vocational Self (Hands) - "What do you want to be when you grow up?" In Middle & High school, students start to discover the things they are good at, the things they want to do, and the opportunities available to them. However, students are more than a set of skills & passions. The work is to discover their calling, that direction which is an invitation to discover & participate in something greater than themselves.

(3) The Personal Self (Head) - This category belongs to  how you think about yourself, what you feel about yourself, your sense of belonging & purpose, as well as if you feel that anything is out of whack in your world. It's the zone where your head & your heart meet to gauge how you are doing at the moment.

(4) The Spiritual Self (Heart) - This zone comes down to two things: Love of God & Love of Neighbor. This zone is the root of the brokenness we find ourselves in. If I don't love God or I love something else as God (as I often do), I'm going to be miserable because it'll never live up to the weight of the love I place on it. If I don't love my neighbor (as I often don't), it will be impossible for me to be honest & vulnerable in community, as well as keeping me unaccepting of those who are different that me. If one's spiritual self will ever be at peace, it is through God's work to restore one's heart to truly Love God & Love Neighbor. That's the whole project.

So there it is. That's my paradigm at the moment. It is subject to change, but the basic idea remains the same. My job is not to fix students. My job is to love them as my Neighbor & walk with them. Then, they go from being an abstract Neighbor who I've yet to meet and become a friend who I know by name. I'll learn their story. I'll learn from their experiences. And hopefully, together, learn to find our identity in the Jesus whose Image we bear.

-HGM