What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s a question adults often ask children. My nephew consistently says he wants to be a Power Ranger. So, my brother is putting money away for Power Ranger School. Not sure what that costs. Increasingly, the same question is being asked of college students . . . and 20-somethings . . . and 40 somethings. A lot of us seem to wander through our lives with no sense of what we want to be. Robert J. Havighurst said that one of the developmental tasks of adolescence is selecting and preparing for an occupation. How do we help teenagers do that?

Our culture has changed and very few of us will hold one job all of our lives. Some teenagers are choosing not to go to college because they believe any vocation they prepared for would just be a stop in life for a few years before they went on to the next vocation. Many companies hire people for jobs that never existed before and then train them to do the job once they start. Choosing an occupation may be a more difficult task for your students than simply deciding they want to be doctors or firemen or preachers.

When I was graduating from high school, my pastor told me something I’ve come to believe was very wise. “Paul, God’s call is dynamic,” he said. “God may lead you on many paths. Your calling is not to a job, but to obedience to Christ.” I have found that to be true. After spending 8 years preparing for ministry in college and seminary, I was a local church youth minister for 10 years. I have served as a consultant in youth discipleship, a youth camp coordinator, an editor of youth ministry resources, and now teach youth ministry and educational leadership at a seminary. I could never have anticipated the path my life would take, but I believe God has led me to each shift in my vocation.

We don’t help teenagers develop their occupational focus by focusing on occupations. As odd as it sounds, I am not that concerned about whether a teenager wants to be a nurse, a foreign correspondent, or an entrepreneur. My concern is that they are passionately pursuing what they believe God has called them to do and be. How do we help youth choose and prepare for an occupation?

1. Help them to see that their highest calling is following God.

2. Join them in praying for what direction God is calling them to follow.

3. Lead them to identify their God-given gifts and talents. Help them explore what they are truly passionate about.

4. Encourage them to focus on the legacy they will leave with their lives, not the stuff they will accumulate.

5. Talk to them about choices they make now that will lead them toward the occupation (or many occupations) that seem to be God’s current direction for them. Encourage them to explore colleges that will equip them for the future, work experience that will help them to learn needed skills, and networks that will help them to find the right kind of positions.

6. Affirm the gifts you see in them. Often teenagers are hesitant to pursue big dreams for fear of failure. Help them to trust God to lead them into amazing ventures.

Youth ministry is all about helping teenagers to develop a passionate, life-long relationship with Christ. Being willing to walk with them through some of the developmental tasks can be great ways to guide them toward that goal.