Commitment! This word takes on different meanings in every generation. Some people fear it; some embrace it with their entire being. In ministry it is something that we struggle with a lot: teen’s commitment, Core Team’s commitment, staff commitment, even our commitment. When you start talking about everyones different levels of commitment it’s tempting to end up doing what Generation iY does and take some anxiety medication to feel better about our responsibility or lack there of.
Teens want to be engaged in changing the world. For most of us in youth ministry this isn’t a surprise. We’ve seen how compassionate teens can be and how much time and energy they are willing to give to something they believe in. Most of the world (or at least, most of my parish), however, doesn’t see this.
They believe teens to be self-centered adolescents who care only about their immediate circle of friends and family and frequently make poor decisions. The Kony 2012 campaign serves to remind all of us of the incredible capacity for empathy that teenagers have and how hard they are willing to fight (even in the face of criticism) for a cause they believe is worthy.
So how do you handle things when you forget to return a parent’s phone call, miss a teen’s birthday or fail to send out the correct forms required for the retreat? What’s your response when you were too busy to assign responsibilities for Life Nights until 3 hours before Mass? Do you think of these snafus in terms of customer service? Do you go out of your way to make things right?
I think teens, parents and core members get that you care – I mean if you didn’t, why on earth would you be doing this job? But there’s also a level of expectation of quality and professionalism that exists in your ministry.
Can you imagine re-starting your ministry every three years or maybe even every year because your teens and families change?
It you’re a military youth minister know this reality all too well; families coming and going, volunteers rotating in and out throughout the year and priests relocating just as often. So what does a youth minister do when all elements of your “youth ministry” are changing?
Take an honest look at yourself and ask how many times you pull out your cell phone during a youth ministry event. I would not have thought that I took it out a lot, only during those times that I thought was necessary. However, after one particular teen challenged me and said, “Oh, look, you’re bored and on your phone again,” I realized I was taking out my phone when there were down times in youth ministry.
My model for youth ministry has four legs and a wet nose. Back when I was a baby Core Member, I attended my first Life Teen Conference in Mesa, AZ in June of 1999. Of all the messages of that week one has stuck with me and has been my constant model for youth ministry for 13 years and will continue to be so.
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.
Over the years I developed a routine of visiting the local schools during lunch times. The purpose behind this was simple: I wanted to see and love teens outside of the typical Life Teen setting. At first I only sought out the teens I knew from my program, trying to avoid the awkward looks and [...]