As a former student pastor I know how important it is to teach students in a way that helps them realize that the faith, the Scripture, and our God is for them and for them tomorrow – not just for them in the future. This is true for big people too! Yes, we must teach the text and point people to Jesus, but we must do so in a way that shows we know and believe Jesus and the Scripture are for tomorrow morning.

I followed a living legend in Kenton Beshore when I became senior pastor of Mariners Church six months ago. I have enjoyed learning from Kenton and I look forward to learning more from him. He said something in a meeting the other day that resonated with me and challenged me. He was speaking about his transition from student ministry to becoming the senior pastor of Mariners, and he said he finally realized he “should have been doing most of what he did as a student pastor.” He realized most of the effective aspects of student ministry were fully transferable to being the pastor of the church, and that when he was not applying principles from student ministry in attempts to “be grown up or formal,” he was not leading as effectively as he could.

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