The Unexpected Path to Ministry
Sixteen years in ministry. It still amazes me to say that out loud. But if you rewind 22 years, my journey looked very different. Fresh out of college with a business degree, I landed a job as a district manager for a Fortune 500 company. I remember setting up my office, neatly placing my business cards on my desk, recording my voicemail greeting-trying to embrace the corporate world. Yet, as I sat there on my first day, I had a startling realization:
"This is definitely NOT what I want to be doing for the rest of my life."
Four years later, I left the corporate world, enrolled in seminary, and stepped into full-time ministry.
Pouring into Students: A Labor of Love
My first role was in youth ministry, and I thought I'd be doing it forever. For six years, I had the privilege of ministering to thousands of students-attending their games and plays, answering their late-night calls, meeting them for lunch, and walking with them through heartbreak and crisis. I, along with an incredible team, poured into them with love, prayer, and unwavering support.
Then, as students do, they grew up and moved on. Many of them left, never to be seen or heard from again. And like so many in youth ministry, I sometimes wondered: Did any of it make a lasting difference?
A Beautiful Reminder of Impact
Two years ago, I got my answer.
A former student walked into my church-this time, as an adult with a family of his own. With tears in his eyes, he thanked me for the investment I made in his life 16 years ago. It was a moment of pure gratitude, a tangible glimpse of the harvest I had once sown.
Over the past few years, I've encountered more former students, each with stories of how God used our time together to shape their journey.
The Ministry That Requires Deep Patience
Farming comes with a predictable timeline-plant in the spring, harvest in the fall.
Doctors perform a surgery in the morning and see improvement by lunchtime.
Chefs prepare a meal and watch people enjoy it within minutes.
Even UberEats drivers can deliver an order and receive instant feedback.
But youth ministry?
It's different.
You may not see the fruit of your labor for decades.
You may never hear a thank-you for the countless sacrifices you made.
You may never know how that one conversation, prayer, or moment of presence changed a life.
But can I remind you of something?
God Sees What You Sow
"For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do." - Hebrews 6:10
Even when it feels unseen, God sees your faithfulness. He knows every prayer you've prayed, every sleepless night you've endured, every word of encouragement you've spoken. And one day-perhaps when you least expect it-you might just get a glimpse of the harvest you've helped cultivate.
Keep sowing. Keep loving. Keep leading. Your labor is never in vain.
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Trey Grant serves on the NNYM Board of Directors. He was a Student Pastor before being called to plant The Well Church in Keller, TX. He also serves on the Keller Police Chief's Advisory Board and is founder of The Specs Movement, an organization promoting Unity, Diversity, and Justice. Trey is a founding member of The Tribe Collective, a group of multi-racial church pastors across the country.