Sal Espino’s calling to follow Jesus and his calling to work with youth are so tightly woven together that it is nearly impossible to separate the two. Sal didn’t grow up in a Christian home, and he says he still isn’t sure why his mother brought 16-year-old Sal and his younger brother to church one evening.

“We had only come to church before because they had food resources, you know, they had a food bank,” says Sal. This experience of sitting in a pew, surrounded by people who didn’t look like them, made Sal and his brother uncomfortable. But through the discomfort, and the questionable intentions, Jesus was working on Sal. During the altar call, Sal stepped into the aisle.

“It felt like an out-of-body experience,” remembers Sal. As he stood at the front of the church, he realized he had no idea what was next. There was nobody in his family to guide him, nobody in his community who would rejoice with him.

But out of the crowd, stepped Paul.

A Faith for People Like Me

“I remember just thinking, there's nobody in this room that could understand what I'm going through,” says Sal. “[But] there was a gentleman there; his name is Paul. He came up to me and he said ‘Hey you know that was a really brave thing you did up there.’”

Paul ran the church’s meal program for the homeless and invited Sal to join him each Wednesday after school. Paul answered Sal’s questions, prayed with him, and spent hours mentoring him. Sal was shocked to hear that Paul had also escaped the world of drugs and gangs, the very things Sal was trying to break free from.

“I realized that he understood me and what I was dealing with,” says Sal. “He told me that he knew how overwhelmed I was. But then he told me that Jesus really is an every day God. He’s not just for the suits and ties, but he’s for people like us too.”

The church Sal found himself in was largely white and affluent, a stark contrast to the surrounding neighborhood where Sal lived. He quickly stepped into the role of translator and emissary. He passed out flyers for the Easter service when congregants felt too scared. He worked with Paul to install a basketball court at the church, a safe place for the teens who lived nearby.

In short, Sal started ministering to youth while he was still one. After high school, he went to seminary and has served youth his entire career. As a bi-vocational pastor, he has worked in juvenile corrections, his heart always drawn to those who grew up like he did – but without the guidance of someone like Paul.

Reigniting a Passion

Sal has often been tapped by his denomination, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) as a leader of color. When Sal was asked to attend a TENx10 summit, he agreed, excited to share from his perspective and history. Sal was already partnering with a Hispanic church in his denomination, offering support and advice as they worked to start a youth program. 

At the summit, Sal felt that familiar spark of excitement. But instead of thinking “I have no idea what to do next” Sal knew exactly what he needed to do! The Relational Discipleship Kickstart (RDK), in particular, contained vast resources that Sal was thrilled to study and share.

“When I heard about TENx10 I started to think about how great of a resource it would have been for me when I was growing up,” says Sal. “When I was young and starting out in youth ministry, when I didn't have budgets and I was paying for ministry out of my own pocket, it would have been phenomenal to have a free resource like that.”

Sal was immediately able to take those lessons he had learned and apply them to the church youth leaders he was mentoring through his denomination. Together, they took a dry list of things that they wanted their youth group to do, and transformed it into what they wanted their groups to be – disciples of Christ.

As a Hispanic man, Sal has been paired with two Hispanic Lutheran churches that are working to grow their youth programs. He says the RDK’s tools around boundaries and health are crucial for this group.

“In Hispanic culture, we’re workaholics, and we don’t really know how to rest,” says Sal. “We don’t really rest, and we just keep saying ‘I just want to do right by the students.’ But then we burn out. What the RDK has shown them is that if you’re not taking care of yourself, you’re not taking care of the students.”

Even as Sal began walking others through the RDK, he saw how the resources were reigniting his own heart for youth ministry. Having recently moved to Georgia, Sal says he had struggled to find his place.

“Before I came to the ELCA I was really questioning my relevance,” says Sal. “I know I’m not old, but when I got here I was right on the edge of 30…and I was really thinking maybe I'm just not cut out for youth ministry anymore. I don't want to be that 40-year-old youth pastor turning his hat sideways still trying to be cool.”

Sal says the RDK’s first step, “defining your purpose,” was exactly what he needed to rediscover his passion for youth ministry. Additionally, he was reminded that after a cross-country move, he hadn’t focused on finding a new mentor or his own mental health.

“Going through the RDK, I’m realizing the importance of having those mentors and that support system, and getting back to the basics of why am I doing what I’m doing,” says Sal.

Leaving a Legacy

Sal says he has also been reminded, through the RDK, of how the church has tried so hard to entertain youth when, in reality, they want discipleship. He reflects back on his time with Paul, a scruffy ex-biker who simply spent time with him, listened to him, and asked him questions that made him think deeply.

Sal has been thinking a lot about Paul recently. He says he doesn’t want to forget those voices that spoke life over him as he seeks to be that voice to the teens in his care. 

“I’ve been thinking about what if Paul had not come to me and encouraged me, then I wouldn’t have had the chance to be a part of so many lives over the past 15 years,” says Sal. “I have kids who were my students and now they’re in ministry too. I look at them and I’m like, man, that’s not my legacy. That’s Paul’s legacy.”

As Sal has reflected on the past, he can’t help but have hope for the future—a hope that he says the RDK has helped nurture. He has already begun implementing the things he has learned, helping his students take ownership over the youth group as they set goals and define their purpose. He also says the mental health tools have been a huge benefit to his students, who are constantly pulled in many directions. 

Perhaps most importantly, Sal says the program has given him an arsenal of thought-provoking questions to ask the youth, reminding them that their voices matter. 

“I want to stop saying that our kids are the future of the church,” says Sal. “They’re here now! They’re part of our churches today. And when something like TENx10 comes along, and it’s a free resource to help us guide their stories – well, why wouldn’t you use it!”

“And if you feel like you’ve lost sight of leading your teens,” continues Sal, “man, all it takes is 30 minutes to get it back.”