The Interview

Taylor Frye's interview with Chad Foster
(This was written by a former student from the Cypress Student Ministry. She is attending Baylor and wanted to do this for one of her classes. Hope you enjoy it.)


We have all heard the famous Great Commission that tells us to, “Go and make disciples of every nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded, and I will be with you, even to the end of the age.” Well that is exactly what I would like to do with my life. I recently sat down with my youth pastor back home and this is what he told me to expect, “You need to be prepared for what God is going to do for in life and once you step into ministry don’t be close minded to how God wants to use you. Be open minded in all aspects when it comes to church. Ministry is always changing and if it’s not changing something is wrong. If we stay stagnant as a church then new believers won’t want to come because it’s a boring environment.”

It was so inspiring to see how much my youth pastor, Chad, loved and cared for these kids. Not only is it evident from five minutes of talking to him, but it is evident in his goals for this group of kids. He made me refocus and remember that ministry work is about the people you reach not the sermon you preach. As a college student it is really easy to focus on yourself and lose track of why you want to be in the ministry. No matter what question I asked him every answer revolved around the students. One of the most inspiring things he told me was that his favorite memory is baptizing his first student last year at our high school retreat. I remember his reaction that night as he baptized my friend John as tears streamed down both of their faces in pure joy and the realization that in the end everything we do is to glorify Him.

His goals for students were just as inspiring, and since I was looking into ministry, I realized that these should be goals for anyone’s ministry. His goal for the students when it comes to Bible study is simply that “God is not so big that you can’t talk to him…he’s big but he’s not so big that you have to stand in line and wait or that you’re not important to him.” I think that that it is key to showing people who do not know God that he is always there for you no matter what have done. Chad’s goal for the graduating seniors is important for any group of believers. It was that all of the seniors leave having a foundation for their faith and that they know how to develop and grow in their faith. Second Baptist Church does this through an event called Youth Sunday. This is one Sunday per year that the youth group takes over every aspect in the church. The students do everything from setting up tables to planning the music to being the ushers to preaching in the service. The church does this event is because “It empowers students to know God and make Him known…it requires spiritual growth. It gives them a purpose in the church.” As a participant in Youth Sunday, I can say that this event is one hundred percent effective. Had it not been for this event, I would probably be a Business major right now wondering what God had planned for my life.
Three years ago this youth group started with eight kids including myself and now there are close to two hundred kids that show up on a Wednesday night. I am truly in awe every time I come home for a visit and see thirty to forty kids that I have never seen before. This amazing growth can only be a miracle of God. Chad explained that this growth was partially because within this youth group there is a true sense of community. This is felt through the friendships that are created. I met my best friends from high school through this group. He goes onto say that if the kids come and love being around each other then they are going to want to come back.

Being the new youth group they may not always get the budget that they want or need, but that does not discourage Chad from continuing to do what God has planned for this youth group. He told me, “We don’t have a lot…its purely based on our relationship with God…there is no outside influence…it’s just us and God. Our job is to make God known whether its two kids, fifteen kids, or two thousand kids my job is just to share the gospel.” That speaks volumes. So often ministry work can get consumed in the wow factor, but here they do not have a choice. However, instead of focusing on what they do not have they choose to focus on what matters, the students’ relationships with God.

This whole meeting with Chad was inspiring. His love for God and serving Him reminded me of why I want to go into ministry. I am so excited to spend my summer serving God, and I hope that my outlook on ministry will be half of his when my internship ends.