Ministry is not time lapsed. It happens right now.
While this is true for any age/demographic, it seems especially true for preteens.
During these isolated years they are ending the overly and overtly kid-ish portions of life (without letting go entirely) and are entering the upcoming years of emerging adolescence (and all of it’s junior high and almost-teenage goodness).
If a students life was rolled together in one giant time lapse video, a preteen ministry would exist as a mere blip along the way.
However, it is an essential and extremely formative blip. It builds on the millions of moments that exist before it and has a direct impact on the millions of moments to follow. The things we do now matter for their (and our) future. The games we play, the stories we tell, the questions we share, the watermelons we smash, the rockets we launch, the prayers we pray, the letters we write, the pizza we eat — it all matters.
Every preteen – including the ones you know, love, and work with – live a life bigger than any one ministry or moment. But every ministry and every moment making it up matter, including your ministry and this moment.
(In honor of the imagery of “time lapse videos,” here’s the latest creative brilliance from OK Go. Enjoy!)
