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:
What could a Core Team do to still create community time that doesn’t involve eating or drinking? Here are a few fun ideas to do prior to, or following a Life Night, or any other random night to build a strong Core family.
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.
Any good series must eventually come to an end. Lord of the Rings, Rocky, and Seinfeld all eventually had to conclude, which means, yes, one day we will all face the depressing reality that the same fate will plague Here Comes Honey Boo Boo. (I’ll give you second to let the sink in.) Okay. Hopefully you’re able to get over that, and if not, well, good luck in life. But, now I must break more potentially devastating news: this will be the final “Stuff Youth Ministers Like” post. (Dry your
I remember my first Life Teen Training Convention 6 years ago. I was fresh into a youth ministry career and was asked to do Life Teen for the first time at our small parish of 250 members. During my first convention, Randy Raus had said, “Be prepared for when you do things for Christ, Satan will try to trip you.” I remember thinking to myself, “I didn’t sign up for this!”
Think about it: did any of us sign up for anything but making a difference in a young person’s life? We felt empowered and ready to change the world. It didn’t take long for me to recognize the spirit of defeat lingering in the shadows. That is why Acts 2:42 is so important for our youth ministry; it offers the encouragement we need to fight the good fight for our teens.
Maybe it’s the dark earlier that makes your nights seem later when you’re turning off the lights alone. Maybe it’s the cold. But I always seemed to lose focus around here – worrying about numbers and fundraising goals. I forgot the real reasons I was in youth ministry and the blessing of the call and started thinking about the “work” I was burdened with.
So how do you deal with it? How do you deal with the Confirmation coordinator who wants your job and thinks his/her way is better? How do you deal with it when the popcorn relay game got the maintenance staff upset? How do you deal with getting bumped off the parish hall list because there is a more important event than youth group? What do you do when your ministry becomes more of a competition?
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.
He went on, that we have this refrain in our faith, that you’ve probably all heard countless times: “This is the day the Lord has made!” This day. He didn’t make this day for another day, God gave us this day for this day.
So what are we fighting for today? That can be complicated in a youth ministry mindset. We have big picture dreams and goals. We have events to plan that are months, sometimes years away. It is easy to let our focus be on these tomorrows – and on these events.
But today, Christ has placed you in this ministry to love and serve and lead teens closer to Him.
At first, I felt helpless. I felt so inadequate, certain that futzing with the finicky washing machine for my shift couldn’t do anything for these individuals. I felt like all I could do was to be there, and that being there wasn’t enough.
Then I realized that “being there” is the hallmark of relational ministry. Everything we do in youth ministry stems from building relationships by listening, sharing, and engaging in the lives of these teenagers. Before the ministry of planning a Life Night, of collecting permission slips for a retreat, of attending committee meetings, or of documenting Confirmation paperwork comes the ministry of presence.