I recently got to climb the Great Wall of China. In the contest of me against the wall, the wall definitely won. The whole experience reminds me of working with youth. How is small church youth ministry like climbing the Great Wall of China? Read on.

I’ve always wanted to climb on the Great Wall of China. I know that the original wall is nothing but crumbled ruins and the current wall is a more recent version, fully equipped with hand rails and even a ride to get you up to the wall, but it doesn’t matter. I wanted to see the wall as it snakes along the mountains in China. You can imagine how excited I was when I discovered I could make a stop in Beijing on my way to the Philippines to teach at a seminary in Manila.

At the beginning, the Great Wall was great fun. I looked down at the craggy mountains below and pictured the enemies of China flinging themselves against the wall again and again trying to invade. (Actually, all it took Ghengis Khan was a small bribe to the soldiers on the wall and they let him through.) The beauty was breath-taking. The wall was crowded with tourists snapping pictures at every possible vantage point. I padded along one section of the wall. It was a bit of a hike, but reaching the first watch tower took minimal effort. A host of tourist were gathered there and, for a moment, the Great Wall of China just became the Great Wall of People.

However, a friend and I pushed through the crowd and started down the next section of the wall. The going became suddenly tougher. It was hard to find a footing. The sun was very hot. We clung to the railing to keep from falling. The hike was no longer a tourist sport. We were actually climbing on the Great Wall. I hadn’t brought much water with me and before I reached the next guard tower I was feeling seriously dehydrated. Every step was accompanied by the knowledge that I would have to make the same steps in reverse direction.

Few tourist venture beyond the first tower and now I understand why. You have to be prepared to go further than that. As we rested at one landing, I decided I had gone as far as I could. I turned back leaving miles of the Great Wall unexplored.

Youth ministry can be a great tourist attraction. The truth is, taking a group of kids to camp or leading a few Bible studies can be fun. Teenagers love to laugh and they can be very quick to warm up to people who love them. Snapping pictures of the youth group, all smiling and having fun is great.

But, be aware that to go beyond the tourist level with teenagers is hard work. Some of the youth you work with have serious hurts in their lives. Some of them simply don’t get the whole God thing. Some of them will make decisions that will break your heart. You need to be ready if you are going to go further than the first watch tower.

Sure, you need to find training in youth ministry. You need people who are lifting you up in prayer. You need to set aside time for preparation and planning. But the most important way you can prepare is by desperately clinging to the Spirit of God and let him work through you. Like life-giving water, the presence of God can see us through the most challenging of times.

Paul Kelly is President and Founder of SmallYouthGroup.com. Beginning August 1, 2009, he will also serve as Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary.