Rural youth leader sees impact after stepping into role

“I think it’s been amazing to discover the gospel advancing … with all of our students,” said Kathy Barrett, youth director at First Baptist Church in Cameron.

In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Barrett felt God’s call to serve in youth ministry.

Formerly a teacher of younger kids, she stepped into the challenging role of working with middle and high school kids.

Barrett places her focus on building real relationships with teens and their families while integrating gospel-centered Bible studies and discussions to make their Christian walk relevant to their lives today.

For Barrett, youth ministry is about more than providing a place for students to gather each week. She wants them to understand how they can know Jesus better and help others know him as well.

That focus has led to students becoming involved in mission opportunities, including a spring break trip to San Marcos with Texans on Mission. Barrett said the students enjoyed the experience so much they were already asking when they could return.

The experience also helped Barrett encourage students to recognize needs in their own community.

Meeting students where they are

Though First Baptist Cameron is in a rural part of Texas, Barrett sees the challenges of reaching teens as relatable for churches in urban communities also.

Her ministry currently reaches students from three different schools and three different towns.

Sports and extracurricular activities compete for students’ time, while the internet gives them access to influences from around the world.

“The world is at their fingertips,” Barrett said, referring to phones and tablets.

Barrett works to meet those challenges by staying connected with students outside the church. She attends their sporting events, checks in with them and their families, and looks for ways to remain involved when school activities prevent them from attending youth gatherings.

“I’ve got one student in my youth that’s in a one-act play, as well as a cheerleader, and so they both meet on Wednesday nights. So, there are definitely conflicts as far as schedule,” Barrett said.

The church also has seen several baptisms this summer following youth camp, Vacation Bible School, and other ministry initiatives.

Barrett is continuing to invest in those students after their decisions to follow Christ. She recently began a study of You Said Yes, a discipleship booklet designed to help students understand the next steps after accepting Jesus as Savior. Ten students were given the book, with eight currently participating in the study.

Still learning

For Barrett, the goal is not simply to see more students attend church. It is to help them grow in their faith and become equipped to live it out.

 Barrett participated in a Texas Baptists youth ministry training cohort and is continuing to learn through additional youth leadership training and resources focused on reaching today’s teenagers.

“There’s a lot to learn,” Barrett said, adding she is “still learning and still trying.”

Barrett encourages other youth leaders to approach ministry with the same willingness to learn, meet students where they are, and understand what is happening in their lives.

She also emphasizes the importance of reaching families, recognizing some parents bring their children to church even when they do not attend themselves.

“God is answering prayers even before they’re spoken,” Barrett said.

For Barrett, those moments reinforce her confidence in the ministry and the God who called her into it.

“God is good,” she said. “He provides everything that we need, and we just try to stay focused on what he’s leading us to do.”