M
ario Sandoval is approaching his
20th year serving as the youth
pastor at All Saints Church in Dale
City, Virginia. He is a married
father of three children, two grown.
YM Shorts:
This may seem like a
simple question but it is not. Why have
you stayed at your church for 20 years?
Mario: There
are
several
reasons
for
staying. The first
is our church has
a great attitude
about growing
the
kingdom
as oppose to
growing
All
Saints. Thus this
has allowed me
to go outside the
church walls. I
don't think that
I have ever been bored or stale in doing
my job. The second is I am rooted. These
connections over the years allow me to be
a part of the body not just in theory. Senior
pastors know me, youth leaders know me,
school administrators know me, through
basketball a lot of young people know me.
This allows me to move and operate with a
level of trust. I believe that this is a major
plus!
YMS: One of the reasons given for the
short stay for many student ministers
is that they have a “packaged ministry”
that is good for 2 to 3 years at most.
When all of the elements have been
used, it is time to move on. Did you face
one of these moments and how did you
adjust?
Mario: Our church had gone through
quick exits of two youth ministers. They
22
wanted more stability. At the same time, I
moved my family from Florida to Virginia.
I did not want to move in three years.
There was an incentive $$$$ for me to stay
longer and it was easy for me to want this
because I didn't want to get up and move
again. For this reason I didn't have any
adjustments.
YMS: What parts of your youth ministry
have you repeated over and over again?
Why?
Mario: Every two years I do a program
called “Raising the Standard” which
deals w/ sexual purity. It is an excellent
presentation which I believe needs to be
offered regularly. Each year teens are in
different places regarding the opposite sex
and relationships. Therefore, it is important
to address these issues. Honestly, it is
the best program format that I have put
together. It should be offered to others as
well it is that good. I don't often promote
myself or my ministry, but this is the one
program that I will push.
I also offer Bible study each week; boys
and girls separate. It has been a wave
of good attendance and poor attendance.
Still I am unwilling to drop it from the
weekly offering. The biggest problem has
been picking the right night. We meet on
Thursdays and now meet at my house
instead of the church. This summer there
has been improvement on attendance. I
believe that God's word needs to be offered
as a choice. So we will continue to offer this
to the students who are willing to make
time in their schedule. PS - Those students
that attend seem to be further along with
their walk.
Music team: Again, it is a great place for
students to offer their gifts. Teens that
join the music team tend to come further
grounded as key members of our group.
Two mission trips per summer: The "Home
Grown" is the mission that teaches our
teens that our community needs attention.
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