I know that I’m guilty of this as well – I admit that it’s much easier to spend time with those who seem to make ministry easier for us. However, I often lament the teens that slipped through the cracks of my parish youth ministry because I or other leaders simply didn’t take the time to connect with them or to stretch out of our comfort zones. I just pray that someone else was able to do what I didn’t do.
When we repeat and recycle processes we can get complacent. Thus, an “if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it” mentality can become very dangerous in ministry. While it might mean that things are comfortable for you, in reality it can lead you to grow complacent. Eventually, this attitude will stifle creativity, discourage risk-taking, and prohibit growth.
Even the best youth ministers know that they aren’t going to be around forever; the smartest ones will realize this before it’s too late. A strong leader should be able to identify and perhaps even groom one or two people to take his spot . . . without feeling threatened. Leadership always needs to be evolving . . . otherwise our ministry isn’t growing.
We recently celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation, the Christian celebration of the announcement by the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would become the mother of Jesus Christ. Despite being a virgin, Mary would miraculously conceive a child who would be called the Son of God. Tom East of the Center Ministry for Development said it so well on Facebook, “I think this is an important day for us as youth ministers. We have the chance to be like Gabriel and bear God’s message