I think in youth ministry it’s easy to get caught in a certain ministerial tension between sticking to what works and remaining open to what the Holy Spirit may be asking you to do differently. Depending on your personality, you may find either end of the scale very rewarding, or very terrifying. If you tend to stick with what works, and get caught in doing the same predictable things over and over, here are some challenges for you:
However truth is, any promotion or advertising ultimately is not about your preference and schedule, but how to reach the hearts and minds of those we seek a response from. Here are some thoughts to consider as you prepare your next go round of outreach plans:
Having recently started working for the Archdiocesan Youth Ministry office in Toronto, I entered into the exciting/terrifying role of cold-calling parishes around the Archdiocese to find out who is doing what, where, how, and when . . . if at all.
Going through that process, I found an extraordinary number of common factors that if I wasn’t on a mission for real information, probably would have found absolutely comical. As a person intentionally looking for information about a parish’s youth ministry I found it a bit disappointing as to how little helpful information was available, let alone current information. Generally the problem could be fixed up in a few minutes.
As much as we would like the summer time to be more laid back and relaxed, often in youth ministry it ends up being a different (sometimes crazier) kind of busy. We shift gears in “where” and “how” we do what we do, but we are doing nonetheless. We can typically use this busy time to create opportunities for more relational ministry. Some Youth Ministers boldly begin the noble quest of what is commonly referred to in youth ministry folklore as the elusive “getting caught up” plan. If you are successful in achieving this quest, PLEASE let me know how you did it. Regardless of what your summer is filled with, here are five things you may want to make a part of your summer gear-shifting.
After running Life Teen for 8 years in a small rural parish in northern – but not too northern – Canada, I finally worked up the courage to ask a brother youth minister from Florida to help me understand American Youth Ministry terminology. If you’re from a Canadian – or perhaps any other international – parish, you can find yourself running into short forms or terms that frankly just don’t show up in our typical ministerial environments. So for all you Canadian youth ministers or Core Members surfing catholicyouthministry.com, below are some definitions I’m affectionately referring to as my Americanadapedia.
I LOVE my Core! People who know me, know that I don’t use that word lightly – ask any Area Contact who’s been to Covecrest recently…. but I really do love my Core Team! Yet, truth be told, as a youth minister there is still a part of me – way deep down – that has kept me from completely turning over Life Nights, retreats, or events over into their very capable hands. Sound familiar? Sure, I let them set up environments, give the teachings, head up small groups, run games and activities. But
“Hindsight is always 20/20” they say (whoever “they” are) and even in the world of youth ministry that is abundantly true. Looking back over my 9+ years of youth ministry, there are three things that I really wish I had known and lived from the start: 1. Give “Your” Ministry Back to God. Daily. Saying that we work for God is a real treasure and an honor. You will get “oh wow, you work for the Church,” or “your church PAYS you to work with teenagers?” all the time. The truth is that “working