The goal of "Welcome to Student Ministry" is to post interviews that help guide both new and experienced student pastors toward faithful ministry over many years. This 12th in this series is with Russ Billo. Russ serves as the student pastor at Salem Baptist Church in Dobson, North Carolina!

1. Tell our readers some background information about how long you have been in student ministry, how you started, and anything else that you think would be useful.

I was invited to youth group when I was in sixth grade. My first week, I met the brand new youth pastor. He loved me, challenged me, asked me hard questions, and gave me opportunities when I did not deserve it. I always looked up to my youth pastor, but never figured that I would be someone who could be a youth pastor. Nonetheless, it was there that I found a love for the Lord, His Word, and His church. 

I am celebrating 9 years of full time ministry at my church as our student pastor. When I was in college, our church went on a mission trip to Clarkston, GA. There, at a Korean youth revival service, the Lord opened my eyes and I saw our teens worshiping. I felt the strongest sense from the Lord as if he were saying, “This is what I want you to do for the rest of your life.”

I knew what that meant. I had sensed some semblance of a calling to ministry for some time but I had avoided it. But when the Lord called me into ministry, I firmly believe that he called me into student ministry. From there, I went to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Once I graduated, I was voted in as the student pastor at Salem Baptist Church in Dobson, North Carolina. God is so faithful and I have loved serving His church and these people!

2. How has your view of youth ministry changed from when you started to now?

The Lord has taught me that I do not need to be the hero. My job is not to transform lives, but to give students every opportunity to grow in grace, knowledge, and understanding of the Lord Jesus. My job is not catchy one-liners or social media posts that get tons of likes, but to prepare our students for lifelong faith and faithfulness. 

Part of that means helping our parents disciple their children at home. I want to help students build foundations in their faith that will likely be developed upon later. I don’t necessarily want rockstar students, but faithful church members, husbands, fathers, parents, etc. The more I do this, the more I realize that my job is to equip the students and their families to love the Word, submit to the Lord, and be led by his grace. 

Student ministry is funny. It seems to shift every few years. A friend recently told me that he always has a deep respect for youth pastors because most church members are around for several years. Youth pastors have a limited time to train up, disciple, and mentor before they graduate. This past year, my group has shifted greatly and so has my teaching style. Rather than preaching one sermon with small groups at the end, I have taken the time to break up the sermons in chunks. I will teach for 10 or so minutes, and allow the group to discuss that passage. It has been a hard challenge for me, but we have seen such a huge amount of growth because of this. 

3. Share one of your favorite student ministry moments. 

I am a huge proponent of camp! One week of camp is like a crock-pot of community. What you can get in a year of small groups after the message, you can get in one week of camp. Our church has always attended Student Life Camp. On the Friday before we left for camp, a student that I had not seen or heard from in years sent me a text, “Hey Russ. Can I go to camp?” I laughed, sent an email to Student Life, figured out how to get him there, and took that kid to camp. He gave his life to Christ that week and I am now discipling him and his cousin (who led him to Christ) in understanding their call to ministry. They have a hunger for the Lord, His word, for preaching/teaching, and they are on fire! It has been such an encouragement to me in the ministry and reminds me of Paul’s words to Timothy.

1You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

• 2 Timothy 2:1-2

4. Share one of your least favorite ministry moments

This also happened at camp on a different year. It seems like everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Between heat strokes, a massive amount of poison ivy, working outside in 107 degree temperatures all week, the majority of our team came home with COVID, a broken ankle, an overnight hospital visit, and a lot of complaining, I was ready to quit!

My wife took a girl to the hospital at 10pm the night before we went back home. She was back and forth between surgeries and being transferred to different hospitals. They were out from 10pm-10am. Finally, the girls get back, completely exhausted, but ready to go. However, since we already had to be out of our dorms, I had confirmed with several of the girls that they had packed up the luggage of the two girls that had been at the hospital all night. All of them said yes. The luggage never made it home. I should’ve checked. 

5. What resources do you find helpful to use in student ministry? 

I cannot emphasize enough a good community of other youth pastors who are also doing ministry. Having someone else to talk through life, struggles, wins, and everything in between is so vital. Having other youth pastors to cheer you on, pray for you, and partner in ministry together is huge!

Other than that, I have been really blessed by some specific podcasts and online cohorts/communities. Some podcasts I recommend: Snowbird Outfitters, No Sanity Required, The Word in Youth Ministry, Youth Pastor Theologian, and Youth Ministry Booster. These are great resources and easy to listen to! I have gotten some incredible ideas from these podcasts.

I am also loving the curriculum and community from Shaping Student Ministry. The guys care about student pastors. The curriculum is good, field tested, and made by youth pastors for youth pastors. It’s adaptable and biblically based. There are a massive amount of resources for parent ministry, games, and community cohorts as well!

6. What is one or two things that you do to make sure that you do so that you don’t burn out as a youth pastor?

The most important lesson I have learned is one that is often overlooked. 

Being over doing.

Being near Jesus is far more important than doing for Jesus. Work on your relationship with the Lord first and let ministry be an overflow of that nearness to Jesus. Don’t forsake your family on the altar of ministry. It’s not worth it. 

Find opportunities to delegate responsibilities. Our job is not to be superheroes or the rockstars. Our job is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. If you have a student or a leader who could do it, equip them to do it, even if you could do it better. Sabbath well. Force yourself to rest or your body will force you to rest in sickness or exhaustion. 

Some of the worst advice in ministry that I ever received was this: “If you’re not completely dog tired by the time you get home every day, then you didn’t do ministry.” Don’t believe that lie, friend. If you want to go far, go together. Your spouse and your children need you. Work will always be there. At the end of the day, give it to the Lord and trust that he will take what we have attempted to do and make it better. He is a much better Savior than we are. 

7. What advice would you give to yourself when you started as a youth pastor if you could go back to that time?

First off, I would tell myself to keep my head up. It’s going to be hard. But it’s going to get better. 

Make every effort to be holy and to grow your personal walk with Christ through reading, prayer, and other spiritual habits. Find time to rest. Find time to exercise. Find time to be fully present with your family. 

Don’t worry about being cool. Be faithful. Be real. Be intentional.

Thank you, Russ, for taking time to answer these questions.  In coming weeks I will post our 13th edition of "Welcome to Student Ministry."