Last week, I was given the opportunity to lead a training conference for adult leaders at a youth camp. It is difficult for a lot of youth leaders to get to training conferences . . . time and expense. Being able to train folks in ministry while they were already at camp seemed like a great approach. However, nothing that I did seemed to connect with the group of leaders. Over the week, I managed to turn a group of 25 adults into a group of three. Why do I tell you this? Because failure is a part of ministry.

I hate to fail. And when I do, I hate to admit it. I expect to do things well. I want to make a difference for the kingdom of God in the things that I do. I don’t like wasting opportunities and I don’t like wasting people’s time. But, if I’m honest, there are times when I fail.

There is a kind of failure that ends opportunities for ministry. I heard yet another story today about a young minister who was married but got involved in a romantic relationship with someone else. He will lose his position and cause serious damage to a number of people in his church. While that is all too common, I am really not talking about moral failure. I’m talking about a failure to use the opportunities God has provided for me.

Sometimes I fail because I am unprepared. Time is the most precious commodity that I have. Finding time to do all the things I want to do, all that I feel called to do, is a challenge. If I am going to do things well, it usually means that I start planning early. Last minute problems inevitably arise and if I haven’t spent time preparing early, I will probably show up unprepared.

Sometimes I fail because I over-reach. I try to accomplish more than I can really accomplish in the time I’m given. I can remember a lot of times when I tried to get teenagers to do things that were really a huge stretch for them. At times I’ve chased kids away from my class because I tried to hard to challenge them.

I’ve failed because I was too intense. I’ve failed because I didn’t believe enough in what I was teaching. At times, I’ve failed without really knowing why.

The good news is, God did not give up on Peter when he failed and was confronted by Paul. He didn’t give up on Apollos though he preached an incomplete message all over Asia minor before being corrected by Prescilla and Aquilla. He didn’t give up on James and John even when they wanted to call down the wrath of God on those who disagreed with them. And he hasn’t given up on me.

You will likely feel like a failure at times in youth ministry. Some times, that will be because you wasted opportunities God gave you. God won’t give up on you either.