Youth ministry does not have a deep history. While some historians point to its mid-19th century roots, modern youth ministry really started in 1940s. Over the years, we have seen many trends come and go, but some fixtures have overstayed their welcome.
As we look to the future of youth ministry, we must evaluate how we do ministry. What are the best practices? What needs to change? What needs to go away? What are we holding onto that really is not working? What do we need to do more? And what do we need to let die? These are all great questions to ask on a regular basis.
Some changes cannot happen right away, though. Not all of us have the ability to instantly kill an aspect of our ministry. Some of us have boards, committees, and more that must approve ideas like these. So, let’s look further down the timeline.
Here are five youth ministry fixtures that need to die by 2025:
If you have been in youth ministry for a few weeks or several years, you have already realized at least one thing–it’s tiring. There is a lot of work to do. I mean, think about it. How many teenagers are in your community? And how many of those are in a committed relationship with Jesus? See what I mean? There is a lot of work to be done. We were not made to do this alone. For far too long, many of us have sat atop our pedestals and wondered why we weren’t making the impact we want.
Moving forward, we must think beyond ourselves.
First of all, rely even more on God. You are not the Savior.
Second, let’s begin to recruit and train more leaders within our churches. We need a team.
Third, we have to get outside of our ministry. Students have been siloed for way too long in their corner of the building.
Get them engaged in other ministries of the church, and help other ministries to connect with the students. Finally, we need to look beyond our church and partner with other churches and ministries in our community. We are in this together, and together, we can actually make a huge difference in a generation of teenagers.
Ignoring Parents
Like many of you, I began serving in youth ministry, because I loved working with teenagers. Beyond my desire to impact them for Christ’s Kingdom, I also joke about how it is a way for me to hold onto my childhood a bit longer. Seriously, I do not want to grow up! But something I learned early on in ministry from a great mentor is that I need to also be working with parents. In fact, I would argue that we should be working with adults more than teenagers.
Similar to my point above, we cannot do this alone. As Reggie Joiner says in Parenting Beyond Your Capacity, “No one has more potential to influence a child than you.” If parents truly are the primary spiritual leaders of their children, what are we doing to make sure they are prepared to do that? The couple hours that we have with teens is not enough to truly make an impact. The hours upon hours that parents have is another story, though. How are we partnering with them in discipleship?
Event-Focused
I love a good youth ministry event. As I said earlier, one of the selfish reasons I serve in youth ministry is because I’m really just a big kid myself. Pulling off a big event that leaves a bunch of teens saying, “That was awesome! When can we do that again!?” is a great feeling. But that’s just it. It’s a feeling.
What are we doing to help them grow as disciples and disciplers? Kyle Idleman, in Not a Fan, says, “What you win them with is what you win them to.” Events are not a bad thing, but if we are focused on that being our win, we might find ourselves feeling more like an event planner than a youth pastor.
Again, that does not mean you don’t do events. Teenagers want to have fun. Keep doing them, but make sure your focus is not solely on events, and make sure you have a strategy behind them.
- Where do you want those students to go after they attend an event?
- What’s their next step beyond just coming to the next event?
If we really want to make teenage disciples, we need to move our focus. Youth ministry should not be about simply drawing a big crowd. It should be about truly impacting teens and empowering them to change their world for Christ (more on this below).
Overlooking Discrimination
Our eyes have been open to many things this year. One of those is racial discrimination, but it doesn’t stop there. Before we look at how to “fix” the world around us, it’s important to ask ourselves some internal questions.
- What are the demographics of your youth group?
- Do they all look similar?
- Do they all speak the same way?
- Do they all have comparable backgrounds?
- Do the games we play, songs we sing, and illustrations we use focus on a certain demographic?
Most likely, we aren’t doing it on purpose, but we are probably leaving out some people, maybe even accidentally discriminating against some.
Lataha Morrison said, “Bridge building is about being awkward, not comfortable.” So if we want our students to see everyone they meet as a child of God, we need to make sure we’re doing that in our ministries. One quick way to fix this is to broaden your leadership team. Get people who look different than you, speak differently, and have different backgrounds to help you evaluate your ministry.
Ask the hard questions and gain perspective. Then try to implement new methods and strategies to move in the right direction. When students see different types of people on stage, hear different types of stories, sing a song in a different language, or even play a game from a different culture, we are showing them that the Kingdom of God is much bigger and diverse than we have previously led them to believe.
Not Empowering Students
If we are going to truly make a difference in this next generation, we need to begin thinking about teenagers differently. It’s been said many times before, but our students aren’t the church of tomorrow, they are the church of today.
They are not potential leaders. They are leaders. So how are we helping them see themselves like that? How are we handing them the “keys of leadership” that Kara Powell speaks about in Growing Young? How are we preparing them to lead both inside and outside the church?
Mike Haynes, on episode 55 of The Student Ministry Podcast, said, “Seeing things through the lens of the gospel informs our response on any given issue.” So how are we helping our students see their world through the gospel? How are we helping them see the world the way Jesus sees the world? And how are we helping them make a difference? Many teens are already seeing the issues, but how are we helping them engage in possible solutions? Rather than just sitting in a room and talking about Jesus, how are we empowering them to ultimately bring Jesus to our broken world?
If 2020 has taught us anything, it has taught us that things can change in a minute. Our foundations, however, are incredibly important.
So what is your youth ministry’s foundation?
What will keep standing even if we go through a pandemic, incredible racial tension, political upheaval, and more?
It’s time to evaluate, reprioritize, and let some fixtures die (or even be willing to kill them) in order to build a better foundation for our students, their families, and the communities around us. As youth leaders, we are called to lead. Part of leading is making tough but important decisions. So ask God for the courage to step up and make the changes that need to be made.
Onto to 2021. The future of youth ministry is exciting! LET’S GO!
My eight-year-old son, John III, surprised me this month with his profound and meaningful adaptation of an old childhood game. John said “Dad, let’s play Rock, Paper, Scissors?” My reply, “Indeed.” Knowing that I was familiar with the rules, John proceeded to initiate the first of three rounds of the game saying rhythmically, “Rock, papers, scissors, shoot! Anything you want to do!” Everything was normal to this point. If you’re not familiar with the game, the rules are simple.
Each person extends their hands in gesture that resembles either rock, paper, or scissors. Rock crushes or beats scissors; scissors cuts or beats paper; and, paper covers or beats rock. A few of my family members who were present turned to see the outcome or to see me, the man, lose to the son, a child, in a child’s game. Well, I made a fist to represent the rock.
Simultaneously, John held his hand high above his head with his fingers spread and shouted, “God.” My son the young theologian, John III, embodied Soren Kierkegaard’s words that, “youth are never too young to take hold of the truth or for the truth to take hold of them.” John embraced what he was taught at home and executed an eternal Spiritual Truth.
To me, God is Sovereign and above all.
To John, God always wins.
When we learn of or encounter the truth, we ought to strive for the wisdom to know how to apply the truth to our lives.
The Truth and Other Truths
As a Christian leader, I believe that Jesus is “The Truth” (John 14:6) and that the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth (John 16:13). A few enduring truths found in the Scriptures that relate to the series theme of, Moving from Stay Woke to Pray Woke and inform my writing are, that government ought to work for the good of its citizens (Romans 13:3-4); faithful persons ought to do justice (Micah 6:8); and a believer in Christ ought to live to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Old Enough to Make Witness
Kierkegaard’s words performed—as I wish more writings would—spiritual surgery on my heart and transformed how I viewed my context for ministry at home and in community. We, parents and youth leaders, pray and hope that the children and youth in our care would take hold of the Truth, Jesus Christ, and other edifying truths at an early age. Teens today have a legacy of pursuing justice.
One legacy example occurred in 1963 when thousands of school-aged children marched in Alabama during the Civil Rights Movement, intentionally filled jails and exposed the callousness of the racist systems. It was not an easy decision for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and other leaders to support. Eventually, Rev. Dr. King reconciled the issue and said, “Children who are old enough to join a church are old enough to make witness for justice.”
Truth Towards Edifying Results or Solutions
A local group of youth who were interested in discovering truths and working towards edifying results or solutions invited me to dialogue about the role of youth during social justice movements.
Fundamentally, the youth with were interested in impacting and improving their communities, so they asked that I consider a couple of crucial questions towards social change:
- What are the basic features of social movements and why are they important?
- How can youth mobilize today?
- Can a school principal discipline students for protesting during school hours?
The students were not focused on being famous and recognizable leaders of a movement. Instead they wanted to understand what they were getting themselves into and how they could be effective. God needs good and faithful stewards in ripe spaces for justice seeking. The light from their questions exposed an area that I would like to explore. I will appropriate the theological shorthand of time, talent and treasure in the church to give examples of how Christian youth can engage in justice seeking. Time, talent and treasure, in the church, means all aspects of your life that God has given you to responsibly steward.
Time and Justice
Does your schedule include justice work or reflect that justice is a priority? Yes, youth can make time to make a difference their school, community or world. Plan to write a letter or let your voice be heard. Set aside time to attend a meeting or planning session regarding an issue where injustice exists.
Talent and Justice
The gift of faith is indispensable when one cannot see the end of a justice seeking effort. God has blessed every young believer in Christ with a gift and may contribute to justice efforts. Often God will use more than what we think we are good at to help others. Perhaps you could build relationships with people who may support your interest. Your presence or signature could be helpful in a justice effort. Persuasive and compassionate writers are always needed.
Treasure and Justice
Treasure in the church usually refers to money or other tangible resources. So, what does this look like for a young person? The donation of an item, the allocation of one’s allowance or the appropriation of one’s salary to an organization to support a particular cause is always a great act towards giving.
Finally, always advise youth to check with a responsible and informed parent, guardian or adult for guidance towards any social justice effort a youth chooses.
When I wrote my 2019 review article for YS this time last year, I said, “When looking ahead, we must start with taking inventory of where we have been.” The onset of COVID-19 has many of us wishing to quickly move on from where we have been for the majority of 2020.
The loss of income and security economically, the mental and emotional anguish stemming from social isolation, and the burden of extra care alongside mourning for those we know who have fallen ill or passed away due to COVID has been anything but a breeze.
Moreover, the weight of COVID feels especially heavy here in the United States, which leads the world in cases and deaths. At the time of writing this article, the U.S. has 8 million more cases (7 times the infection rate) and more than twice as many deaths (9 times the death rate) as India…with 1.1 billion less people.
In the midst of that pandemic weight, we as youth workers need to recognize and adapt to social development and a ministry field forever changed by all that’s happened.
Here are 5 ways adolescence and youth culture have changed because of COVID-19.
The generation with the most anxiety and depression in history now has even more anxiety and depression.
You probably saw this point coming from a mile away. With as much attention as the mental health of Gen Z has received, it should come as no surprise that the dropping hammers of restricted to no physical contact, upheaval of social and educational environments, and big events (family/school/church) being seriously modified or cancelled has not exactly provided encouragement for the state of their mental health.
Depending on the specific age group and study, anxiety and depression rates within teens and young adults have tripled or even quadrupled in response to everything surrounding COVID.
We can’t believe the lie that bringing up mental health will make it worse.
Partner with your fellow workers, parents, and professionals, and help them.
Teenagers have found the limitations of online relationships, and the response is two-fold.
Sadly, it seems that while many teens and students in our ministries have come to realize how online relationships can’t replace fully present, interactive, face-to-face relationships, they don’t quite know the next step.
I have personally observed and heard from others about the increased desire for in-person gathering; however, it appears that realizing the technical limitations has also fueled the previously mentioned anxiety and depression while they ironically maintain their online presence.
We must remember that Gen Z, and Generation Alpha behind them, have a connection and dependence on technology that surpasses any previous benchmark. In response, we have seen digital church resources surge along with efforts to maintain in-person ministry gatherings. This is a prime opportunity to clearly demonstrate how online interaction can be a great supplement, and even a pandemic necessity for healthy relationships.
However, the discovered limits show why they can’t replace how relationships were designed for us by God.
Reluctance to reach out and engage with those outside of comfortable social circles has lessened.
Both online and in-person, teenagers seem to feel more comfortable talking to and hanging out with others who might only have some subtle connection through another friend or common interest (sports, anime, gaming, etc.).
The messaging platform Discord, which has grown by 2.3 million active servers since 2018 and almost doubled its monthly active users from 56 to 100 million since 2019, is just one indicator. How we can capitalize on this relational momentum for the sake of gospel outreach and establishing healthy communities?
Educational supplements are no longer simply a norm, but practically a necessity.
According to UNESCO, close to 307 million children are out of school worldwide due to COVID closures. Early on in the pandemic, parents soon recognized the dire need for instructive methods beyond kitchen table laptops and Google Classroom.
Tutoring and homeschooling options have skyrocketed, and we should be looking into how we can offer help with education to teens in our community.
More than ever, teenagers are in need of healthy and consistent guidance amidst cultural bombardment.
Okay, this last point isn’t a researched statistic. Perhaps it’s even a well-intentioned but tired cliché that you’ve read in articles and heard from pulpits for years.
However, if we as followers of Jesus know that His return gets closer with each passing day, we need to plant ourselves and our teenagers in Scripture and God’s promises.
It’s tempting to simply reduce everything about COVID (and 2020 overall) into funny memes as a way to cope. While that’s one extreme to avoid, we shouldn’t swing to the other extreme of wallowing in sorrow. COVID and 2020 aren’t likely to be the worst things that happen to these teenagers, so we need to supply them with the right perspective.
We just finished Advent. It’s the beginning of the Church calendar, where we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ – the object of our hope, the source of peace, the reason we have joy, and the only way of salvation to the Father.
As messengers of that good news, we should comfort and minister to teenagers while moving them forward with us, knowing God has more in store for our good and His glory.
Let’s walk with our students into the new year with hopeful anticipation.
I’ve been in ministry, specific student ministry and next gen ministry for over 15 years now, and needless to say, there have been a lot of lessons and habits I’ve learned along the way. Some have been learned by experience, while others have been taught.
I often think about what I know now and what I didn’t know as a 22 year-old fresh out of college. Frankly, I’m amazed that I, not only survived my first few years leading middle school and high school students, but that any type of ministry took place and was in the least bit effective.
After all, what does a 22 year-old know? At the time, I thought enough. Looking back, I can confidently say not much. And 15 years of experience, relationships, books, podcasts, conferences and failures later, I wish I could tell my fresh-out-of-college-know-it-all-self a few things that would help me set my mind a little straighter. The truth is, what you don’t know can hurt you.
So, here are a few things I would tell my younger self….
TAKE YOUR FAITH MORE SERIOUSLY, SERIOUSLY.
In some ways, I’ve always taken my faith seriously. It’s the most important thing in my life. But now I realized how not seriously I really took my faith back then. My faith was more of a driver for my job, not necessarily my life. I’m not saying I lived contradictory to my beliefs, but I didn’t necessarily let it drive my life like it drove my calling. My faith was my sidekick, co-passenger, helper. Today, it’s my driver. It drives my life, and therefore my ministry. I realize that this sounds like a no-brainer for people who work in ministry, but it’s amazing to see how many church leaders use their faith as a co-passenger rather than driver.
For me, that meant making Bible reading and prayer time non-negotiable each day (still a challenge). It meant implementing a 24-hour Sabbath each week. It meant implementing a Daily Office (a short time to pause in the middle of the day to read, pray, journal, etc., and by far the most difficult). It meant utilizing our church’s monthly Spiritual Renewal Day. It also meant reading more spiritually challenging books, and not ONLY ministry/youth ministry books.
A faith-deprived leader cannot lead a faith-filled ministry.
ADULTS ARE IMPORTANT, TOO.
I’m not going to lie. My younger self had a difficult time accepting the value of adults. I placed such a high value on teens, that adults were secondary. I knew my volunteer leaders were important, just not as important. Parents, yep, not important. Other staff? Not so much. The truth is, while I do believe that ministry to students is crucial in the church, it cannot happen without adults. It cannot happen without volunteer leaders. It cannot happen without the partnership of parents (something I didn’t realize, having not been a parent at the time). It cannot happen without the support of the other church staff, and especially leadership.
I wish I would’ve seen adults as partners in ministry, not in my way of doing ministry.
INVEST MORE IN MORE EXPERIENCED YOUTH WORKERS
There is a treasure trove of experience and knowledge at our fingertips. From podcasts to books to conferences to YouTube to Facebook Groups, the access to genius is amazing! Not only that, but I wish I would’ve invested more in face-to-face, regular sit-downs with older, more experienced youth workers. It’s hard to think what I missed out on by not asking questions and gaining knowledge regularly from someone farther down the road than me. Sometimes, when you’re at a church that people look up to, it’s difficult to admit you’re not on top of your game. I’ve had the fortune of being at 2 churches in my career, that are great churches. But just because you’re at a great church, doesn’t mean you can’t learn from other great leaders. I wish I would’ve invested more, relationally, with those wiser than me.
DON’T TRY AND IMPRESS SO MUCH
It’s typically in our nature to want to impress others with what we do. For me, that was never truer than when I first got hired out of college. I wanted to show everyone that I was the best hire they ever could’ve made. Me wanting to impress, made me miss out on growth. I was way too confident, and sometimes too much confidence produces arrogance and an inability to hear constructive feedback, which then leads to relational problems. Instead of trying to impress so much, I wish I would’ve sought more feedback. I wish I would’ve evaluated every aspect of my ministry more regularly.
SELF-CARE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU THINK
This has been more evident in my life recently. I have come to understand the importance of taking care of myself, spiritually, emotionally, and physically, in order to be the best husband, father, and pastor I can be. Burnout is real, and it is serious. It can damage ministries, churches, and families quicker than anything. In fact, you can read more about burnout here… https://blog.youthspecialties.com/burning-out-and-finding-healthy-rhythms-in-ministry/.
I would tell my younger self to protect your days off…
Pour into your family.
Get a Spiritual Director or go to counseling.
Workout.
Immerse yourself in a community that challenges and encourages.
There’s no doubt that I will have a list of things, 15 years from now, that I will want to tell my current self. That’s the nature of age and experience. But we can be ahead of the game! We do not have to let our experience-deficiencies handicap our leadership!
What are some other things you would tell your younger self?
God with us.
God for us.
God at work in and through us.
These are just a few of the remarkable reasons we celebrate Christmas. How extraordinary that the God of all creation would choose to come among us as a helpless, vulnerable baby.
Whether you are reveling in the joy of this season, or struggling through the holidays, remember this…
…You are loved
…You are treasured
…You are never alone
…You are never forsaken
…You are never without hope because you are never without God.
That is the promise of Christmas. God’s presence never fails us.
From all of us at Youth Specialties, may your days be merry and bright. More importantly, may your heart be filled with the hope, joy and promise of Christmas.
Let us work together in the new season and new year with helping students and families find and follow Jesus!
Today I cried in my office three times. Three times. Sunday night I walked out of my church at 8:50 PM and reminded myself that you don’t quit on Mondays. A phrase my wise coach, Tony Akers, taught me. This week alone I have dealt with parents calling to tell me of the heartbreaking situation their child is in, college students calling at 10 PM for life chats, people in and out of my office with no announcements or warning, and a lot of fatigue. I’ve sat in my office with the sun streaming in, because at least I have an office with windows, and asked myself why I ever thought I was equipped or called to youth ministry. Being a person is hard and being a person in the ministry is hard too.
Youth ministry is a constant rollercoaster of emotion, exhaustion and stress that doesn’t often have the benefit of great pay. Our jobs look so fun on the outside, but some days it feels like you are waist deep in the brokenness of your students and their families and can’t even move if you tried. Youth ministry, plain and simple, is hard sometimes. But here’s the thing that should keep us going; we are doing good work, whether or not we can see that goodness. Here are the things that I want to remind myself and you when ministry feels undoable.
Joy comes in the morning.
A few years ago I was in a coaching session (side note: coaches are awesome and you can/should find one to help you). I was telling my coach about a particularly troublesome senior with whom I was counting down the days until his graduation. This was another one of those weeks where I started out the session saying, “Steven did this….” Tony, tired of hearing about Steven, went back to an old mantra from Psalm 30, “Joy comes in the morning.”
What he was saying was whatever situation you find yourself in with a student or the church; it isn’t going to last forever. Steven graduated, meetings with parents happen, Sunday nights end and eventually it is all okay. The weeping, it seems, really does last for just a night.
Sometimes it is what it is.
A few years ago I had a situation in which a student got in trouble on a trip and we, in a search for accountability, handled the situation all wrong. We were harsh when grace was needed and it ended up pushing the student away.
I cannot tell you how many youth ministers have a story that goes something like that. Losing a student due to conflict is a messy situation that evokes feelings of guilt and heartbreak. I felt like my actions caused this student harm in her relationship with God and the church. However, I constantly have to check myself when the ministry guilt hits me in the gut.
Did I do what I thought was best at the time? Yes.
Was I seeking Christ and trying to minister? Yes.
Is it sad that this student is not in my ministry anymore? Absolutely.
Does the world still spin? Yes.
Sometimes our hard situations are simply what they are. We cannot let difficulty or guilt consume us. We have to take what we can learn about the situation and press forward.
You can only control your own actions.
You know what would be great? If I could control how students behaved, parents communicated, or really just anything that would make my life easier.
But the fact of the matter is that I control my actions and my actions alone. And you know what, I am not even that good at controlling my own actions sometimes. We can control our responses to situations. We can be as grace-filled, loving and kind as possible as we try to usher people in the arms of the Savior. That is it and that has to be enough.
You are not a savior. You do not transform people. God does. God is the one in control of the situations around you. Scripture promises that God works all things for good. So when you start lamenting your lack of control, remind yourself of the good that God is working in your life.
Don’t forget your great cloud of witnesses.
Someone was telling me the other day that they had no one to share the challenges of ministry. They were afraid of offending others with any displeasure at the realities of Church work. So, they didn’t share. I am here to say that, as youth workers, we cannot afford to not talk about these things with others.
Now, I don’t mean that you need to complain to your church members about the senior pastor. Please don’t do that. I am saying that community is important in youth ministry. If you are a lonely youth worker in your town, the chances are that there is another youth worker or church worker in your area who would love to be in community with you.
Find a place to talk about what is going on in your church. Find people you trust and people who will share about their struggles alongside you. Get yourself a cloud of witnesses and do not be afraid to be vulnerable with them!
Also, counseling is a great thing for all people, especially people in ministry. I encourage everyone to be in counseling no matter who you are.
God is faithful, God is faithful, God is faithful.
Y’all, this job is hard. Youth ministry will kick you in the teeth somedays. However, I believe that you are doing youth ministry because God has led you to this place. You are investing in the lives of students because God wants you to be in their lives and point them to Christ.
You are doing the work of God and God is faithful no matter what.
God is good and God calls each of us to participate in God’s goodness.
When I feel like my footing is slipping and I lose sight of God, I tell myself over and over and over again that God is faithful, God is faithful, God is faithful.
A faithful God doesn’t let go.
A faithful God loves the broken and brings about healing.
A faithful God is one who will deliver us from all harm.
God is faithful. That promise is all you need.
Have you ever had one of those weeks where you lock up the church, start up your car, and then instantly torture yourself with the haunting question, “Did tonight even make a difference in anyone’s life?”
Try having a whole school year of these gut-check sessions following a youth group.
Hands down, the hardest thing I’ve done in youth ministry is start a high school ministry from scratch.
There was no organized high school when I arrived at this church. In fact, there weren’t many high schoolers in the congregation. But we determined that we were going to do everything in our power to keep grades 5-12 from having to be under the same ministry umbrella.
After pulling as many 9th – 12th graders together as possible, we began our adventure with eight students.
It would only take five minutes being at our first week to know that this was not a squeaky-clean-church-grown crop of kids; it was… well, the opposite. And that was refreshing. That was exciting. Until we tried to crack open the Good Book. It was chaotic. There were disruptions. There was no focus. In fact, I abruptly closed our time with a toast to pink lemonade.
Why? Because they were far more interested in that than what the Apostle Paul had to say that night.
The trend continued. Each week was a different battle.
It ranged from trying to get earphones out of their ears to breaking up chesty macho standoffs. There was a boatload of side-chatter during the message but deafening silence during small groups. Every time an issue arose, the turmoil within myself welled up. Do I come down hard? Should I be understanding? Would it be worth it to ask the ones who aren’t serious to not come back?
But after doing some soul-searching as a team, we chose grace. We realized that this was a sign that we were reaching the kids who needed it. Learning more of their backstories only caused our compassion to grow. It gave us more patience for those moments we felt constantly disrespected. And even though we were seeing very little fruit, we kept plugging away.
Our group felt like such a fragile arrangement for quite some time.
I was convinced that the bottom could fall out any given week. We were plucking students from such diverse backgrounds. Now sure, that sounds wonderful, but since we were so small, they actually had to like each other for this to work. And it took until late spring for that defining moment where one of our most vocal students articulated to the whole group this one wonderful concept: we are family.
Lightbulbs went off. They got it. They felt it. It took a full school year to build trust and friendship, but after this moment, we started to see baby steps towards Christ.
Even though our group is much larger now, I look back on that first year with incredible fondness. God did something special. I’m grateful we didn’t get in the way of it.
A few years later, I had a raw conversation with that same student who spoke up and cauterized the notion that we are family. He said that the reason that our group held it together in that first year was because in the midst of all of the chaos, disrespect, and hyperactivity, they looked at me and saw a composed, patient presence. I didn’t react. I gave them space to be them. After time, they mirrored what they saw in me.
I could have easily dismantled that notion if I acted the way I wanted to internally. But thankfully, God gave me a composure beyond myself.
A mentor told me that we don’t get to choose the sheep that God brings to us; it’s simply our job to shepherd them well. If you find yourself with a tough crowd, I hope that God will give you the chance to walk alongside students in the middle of their messiness and then be humbled by the ways God used your presence more than any message you ever gave.
1 year. 200+ posts. 2020 presented some tremendous fodder for our blog contributors and inspired us to see something new every single week. Here’s some of our favorites as we close out the chaotic and challenging year that was 2020 with the fabric of what makes the YS Blog so powerful and connective: Youth workers serving youth workers with their best thoughts, ideas, and inspiration to help you do youth work better for students and Jesus.
In no particular order, here’s some of our favorites from the year:
We were wrong about what we thought youth ministry was going to be like, and what you actually wanted and needed. We were wrong about not praying with you and for you more. We stopped seeking God and began seeking validation. We began to compare ourselves with other ministries and did not see the value in the youth ministry we have. We assumed a lot. We assumed what you knew about God and the Bible.
Over the years I’ve sat down with and coached many youth leaders facing difficult times in their ministry—often from the frustration of unclear expectations, the pain of serving a leader that bullies, or the disappointment of being caught up in church politics. For many, this toxicity didn’t suddenly one day. Rather, it was a gradual buildup, and they felt its symptoms long before they identified its cause.
We all could provide our own insight into the cultural underpinnings as we watched and led our communities through a very unique time period. After watching hours of news, following comments on social media, reading world class journalism on the pandemic, and executing major actions on behalf of my job and protecting my family, there’s been some specific culture trends that have risen to the surface during the pandemic.
A wave. Quicksand. Prison. A rollercoaster. Google the words “Anxiety is like,” and you’ll be shocked by the number of comparisons and descriptions you’ll find. You’ll find memes, poetry, artwork, and music—pleas for help, or at least understanding, seeping out of every pore of today’s anxious generation.
Youth workers don’t have “A” lane. We have many. We need to know how to speak with teens, families, and stakeholder committees. We advocate in our churches and communities for adolescents in a thousand different ways. Consequently, this weaponized phrase begins off base.
As people who love Jesus and love teens we get to live, practice, and teach theology with our students. However you think of youth work, this is a big part of what you are doing.
If the young people in your youth ministry are like the ones I serve, then they have an opinion about issues that have prompted protest in their community and throughout the world.
If the young people in your youth ministry are like the ones I serve, they feel like the Church should do something to speak to and confront the injustice in their community and throughout the world.
If the young people in your ministry are like the ones I serve, then some have already participated in social and community activities, with or without you.
It is not surprising for anybody reading this that Covid-19 has negatively affected the mental and emotional health of people across the world. The students in our ministries are hurting in very significant ways.
In a report released last October by the American Psychological Association, 91% of Generation Z reported that they have experienced at least one physical or emotional symptom due to stress. Significant causes of stress reported through this report included the fear of mass shootings (75%), sexual assault (53%), and bullying (35%).
We had a great year for the YS Blog! We look forward to posting and sharing more life-giving content and ideas for youth workers in 2021! Close the book on 2020 and welcome the new decade with all the excitement being a youth worker in the 21st century can bring!
Christmas can be an insanely busy time. Between Christmas parties, Advent readings, and the obligatory youth Christmas program, youth workers are spread pretty thin. None more so than the youth leader in a small church because you’re often the one who’s charged with planning and executing all of those different things!
And unfortunately, if you’re anything like me, that level of busyness can very quickly suck the joy right out of the Christmas season.
It’s hard. It really is hard juggling everything that comes with being a small church youth worker around Christmas time. Despite the fact that all of these activities are meant to draw people toward Jesus, they often do the opposite, at least for the one who’s charged with making it all happen.
When you’ve got a youth Christmas program to direct, a series of Advent readings to deal out, a youth Christmas party to plan, AND your regular youth ministry activities to worry about, it can be very hard to focus back on Jesus. And Jesus, the coming of Emmanuel, God with us, IS supposed to be our focus during this season… right? Certainly, the pandemic has changed much of the “busyness.” Still, busyness can quickly surround the youth minister, even in a Pandemic.
TAKE TIME TO REFLECT
Now I recognize that there’s no easy fix for this problem. If there was an easy fix, it would probably be to drop some things. But, I realize that it’s not always possible, especially during this time of the year.
To do so, in many churches, may mean that you are fighting against decades of tradition. So, to do so, may lead to a very difficult and contentious January board meeting (or worse).
So, what I say to you instead is to make sure that no matter how many different things you may be responsible for this Christmas season, take time to reflect. Remember the words of the biblical authors and remember what it is they are saying to us.
Remember Isaiah…
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6, ESV)
Remember John…
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, ESV)
Remember Luke…
“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7, ESV)
As you remember these words, take the time to reflect on the immensity of what this season actually means. This season is meant to celebrate the coming of he who had been prophesied about centuries before. It is meant to celebrate the coming of the word, Emmanuel, God with us.
MAKE SURE YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS ARE FOCUSED ON JESUS
As you reflect on these things, take time to make sure that you AND your students are focused on the immensity of all of this. Take time to make sure that you AND your students are focused on Jesus. Remember, just as you’re busy, so are your students. There’s a good chance they’re involved with a lot of what you’re involved with and plenty of other things as well.
So, not only do you need to maintain your focus as a leader, but it’s equally important that you help to refocus the students who God has entrusted to your care.
Make sure that both you AND your students have opportunities, through all of the busyness, to reflect on the immensity of what this season means.
Because the immensity of what happened 2,000 years ago, in a manger in Bethlehem, is a major key to unlocking the immensity of God’s love.
The Pandemic has us all ready to move on to a new day and a fresh start. You are probably looking forward to 2021 with cautious optimism.
Honestly, what else can you do? There are a lot of reasons to hold on to hope for the future. We have learned so much about navigating life in this new climate. We have the hope of a potential vaccine. Oh, and Jesus is still Lord.
Without a doubt you have been planning, or at least thinking about planning the next year of ministry. Given the state of flux that we are used to living in right now, it can be extremely difficult to think long term. When you plan the next week, the very next day you are already having to pivot away from that plan. As frustrating as this all can be right now, we hope and pray for our ministries. We still want to reach students, and help them become fully developed disciples of Jesus. I’m here to remind you that, with God, all things are possible.
Though it feels like an uphill task, we can set ourselves up for big wins coming out of this season.
Here are 5 ways to set your ministry up for future success and growth:
Cultivate Spiritual Growth
Before doing any other planning or dreaming for growth in your ministry, be sure to define what success and growth actually mean for you. Most youth workers are judged by attendance numbers and budget consumption. Attendance has to be high, and cost needs to be low, and that leads most youth leaders to develop some type of balance between spiritual investment and attendance boosting attractions.
Forget about the numbers. Numbers are going to be skewed all over the place for a long time moving forward. Instead, shift to an all-in approach to developing spiritual maturity in your students, whether that investment is in 1 student or 100. You won’t see the attendance meter move much for a while, but you will watch the spiritual temperature of your students rise. When you have a group full of spiritually mature students, the future is bright.
Invest Now, Benefit Later
It is the best time to make changes, do the things you didn’t have time to do before, and work to boost the elements of your ministry that were a little anemic. Though I recognize that many churches are struggling financially, because of the slowdown, many of our budgets are strong because of the lack of spending that we have done.
Make good use of that margin that has been created to do the things you have been dreaming of. Invest in new technology or curriculum targeted at this season of life and specific to ministry moving out of the pandemic. Create great environments that your students will love upon their return. Life will look different a year from now. Go ahead and make good investments. You won’t reap immediate benefits, but you’ll see the growth happen later.
Get Better
Investing in yourself now, will make you a much better leader down the road. It takes a dose of humility, but as leaders we need to understand that we have never “made it”. There are always improvements that need to be made in our leadership, and spiritual growth.
Right now you might not be having to manage as many volunteer leaders, and you probably haven’t had quite the extent of programming to maintain, or the numbers of students to keep up with.
Therefore, prepare now for the moment when things speed up. Devour as many books and podcasts as you can. Pick up new spiritual disciplines to spark spiritual growth in your life. If you are like me, you would much rather be out getting after it, reaching students, and developing leaders. When we aren’t able to do those things we feel like we are wasting our time. Investing in yourself spiritually and vocationally is never a waste of time. Embrace the grind.
Ears to the Ground, Feet Ready to Move
There is only so much concrete planning that we are able to do with so many unknowns in front of us. Therefore, make sure you have your ear to the ground, listening for the opportunities that arise in your community. Coupled with that, have your feet ready to move.
As soon as you see an inroad, or hear of a need, jump on it.
Go ahead and have the conversations that you need to have with your team, your pastor, elders, etc. so that there is no red tape, or hoops to jump through when the time comes to move. Getting that future win means being ready now.
Celebrate Every Win…Now
In these days there are so few things to celebrate, but we have a God who is still moving and doing amazing things. Do not wait for some big win, but celebrate every single small win every single moment that you can. You get more of what you celebrate, and these small wins will stack up.
On the contrary, if you allow yourself to be continually disappointed, or distracted by the negatives, you will end up spiraling into organizational paralysis.
Pray that God would open your eyes to His unseen work.