Youth Minister Journey: Get Off the Fence

Youth Minister Journey

My name is Chadwick Culton out of Grand Junction, Colorado, and I am on a youth minister journey. I am a member of Living Water Baptist Church in Fruita, Colorado. Currently, I am an intern youth pastor assisting our youth director with teaching, counseling, and connecting with the young people in our community. I married in 2011 and have a daughter aged eight and a son aged seven.

I grew up in a broken home, and my parents divorced when I was seven. My father was not in the picture, and my mother was a drunk. I found comfort in the church. It became a place of refuge for me. In middle school, I switched churches and attended a youth group where I found the need for a savior and received him. However, I did not surrender my life entirely. I shared Jesus with my peers, but I continued to live like the world until the world overtook me. I married a girl I met in the youth group who gave me two beautiful children. However, my heart was in the wrong places. I drank and partied while drugs took over my life. I eventually committed adultery. My failures led to me almost losing my family.

Getting Off the Fence on My Youth Minister Journey

I chose to leave and work on my life, and I turned back to God but was still not entirely devoted. My wife began to trust me again and moved back into my life. We worked on our relationship. I did not give all my life to God. A few years later, my stepdad passed away. He was my biggest role model and raised me. I may not have had my biological parents, but when he came into our lives, we had a dad that filled the void. Soon after he passed, I turned to God and asked him why. God responded with a guest speaker at our church, Pastor Jay Law. He preached a sermon on God’s plan. I fell to my knees, asked for forgiveness, and made a full dedication of my life to God. Soon after, I also listened to Paul Washer on what it means to be saved. Then I knew God was using me for something. I got involved in our church and started attending a mentorship program for future pastors.

Finding CLI on My Youth Minister Journey

I pray that God uses me and others like myself for his plan. His plan is much higher than ours, and he calls us to be for him. We are either for him or against him. There is no grey area, so it’s time to get off the fence.

God is calling me to youth ministry. I want to help them understand that trials will come, but they need a strong foundation of full devotion to God. This free ministry training at Christian Leaders Institute is fantastic! I want to grow and learn as much as I can. Thank you, CLI, for all that you do.

Learn about ordination at Christian Leaders Alliance.