In every youth group you will find those kids who struggle to fit in. They may be really quiet or shy, or just terribly annoying – they may continually get on the nerves of the other members of your group.
The temptation, of course, is to spend more of your time with those students who you personally enjoy and more easily get along with. What we should never forget though, is that fundamental to Jesus’ ministry was a radical inclusion of the outsiders, those who exist on the margins of society for whatever reason.
Perhaps one of the most important ways you can lead youth is to model this by ensuring you give quality time and attention to the kids who struggle to fit in. Even though this may be both difficult and draining, you may be pleasantly surprised by how this positively affects and grows the youth member in question.
I personally experienced this many times in spending time with an ‘outsider’ youth member, I would discover that more often than not, learn that they lived under very painful circumstances such as a missing or abusive parent. Although, I didn’t naturally gell with them and had to try a whole lot harder to relate, I almost always found these relationships to be immensely fruitful.
Remember, in the Kingdom of God, the youth members on the outside of your group are just as important as any other. They are valued and loved by God. If they cannot find a home in the church, then quite simply, there is nowhere else for them.
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This article has been written by Gareth Killeen, the editor of Crux and a youth leader with over a decade of experience behind him.