Steve’s Bio

Who is Steve Spence?

I’ve spent 30 years in local church student ministry, and God has taught me more than I could have imagined. My heart now is to share those lessons to encourage and inspire other youth pastors.

I’ve been married to Shelley for 25 years, and we have two daughters and a son-in-law—my greatest joys. Watching them love Jesus, the church, and their own callings has been one of the gifts of my life.

I currently serve as the High School Pastor at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, TN. My training includes a bachelor’s degree from Carson-Newman and a master’s in Religious Education (youth ministry) from Southwestern Seminary, where I learned from leaders like Richard Ross and Wes Black.

Over the years I’ve served in churches of every size, which has shaped my perspective and deepened my love for student ministry. My own youth pastor, Bryan Hall—a lifelong student minister—was foundational in shaping my calling, and his mentorship fuels my desire to pour into others.

I also contribute to Download Youth Ministry, where many of my messages and resources from the past three decades can be found. For my latest sermons, visit the Bellevue High School Ministry page.

Why a fresh calling?

There is a real need for inspired, qualified, and equipped youth pastors in the church today. I believe that with all my heart. Those of us who are “lifers” in student ministry are becoming a rare breed, and there are plenty of reasons for it—the allure of big-stage ministry over in-the-trenches ministry, financial pressures, shifts in church philosophy, and more. Over the past decade we’ve seen a noticeable decline in true youth pastors. Even our seminaries are feeling it: only two Southern Baptist seminaries still offer a strong youth ministry emphasis, and each of those has just one professor carrying the weight.

We need more youth pastors who are inspired by God’s call, trained in the essentials of healthy ministry, and deployed into our churches with confidence and clarity.

I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I am convinced—and deeply motivated—to speak up. Our churches and our teen culture desperately need called, passionate, committed youth pastors. We need leaders who first love the Lord and understand the unique privilege and challenge of shepherding teenagers.

Youth ministry isn’t always attractive because it’s hard work. Many feel unprepared for the big, complex issues today’s teens face. But I’d argue that part of the reason teen culture is struggling is because there are too few godly influencers in their lives—not just because of the negative pull of social media. And the church bears some responsibility for this. The competitive mindset of chasing the next “young gun,” replacing faithful leaders rather than investing in them, has only weakened the pipeline of youth pastors. What if, instead, we sharpened one another and called our people up, rather than burning them out?

What’s asked of a youth pastor can feel overwhelming. To thrive in this calling, we need perspective. We need to understand the gifts God has given us, rely fully on the Holy Spirit, and serve in the right context (Romans 12:4–8).

But here’s the beautiful part: freshness is possible every single day. No matter how busy ministry gets, we can experience the freshness of His Spirit when we surrender fully to the Lord. It’s hard work—but it’s joyful work. There’s nothing like watching students “get it,” not just in a moment of salvation but in a growing, daily, passionate walk with Jesus.

That’s the heartbeat behind Fresh Calling.