Last week I wrote about the importance of long term youth ministry- from the perspective of the youth pastor. Even as I wrote that blog I knew that this one would be coming- some of it is out of a place of sincere gratitude and some is out of a place of seeing what works best.
In any ministry- but especially youth and children's ministry leadership is VITAL to the sustaining, flourishing, and overall strength of the ministry. I don't mean leadership from the youth pastor- I mean leadership from within the church congregation. Having people who will plug into, connect with, and focus on children and youth throughout their lives is so much more important than a pastor. I grew up in a church without a youth pastor and if it wasn't for the congregation inviting me into their lives- taking me on fishing trips, having me over for supper, taking me camping, even asking me to join them in cleaning the chicken coop- then I wouldn't be the disciple that I am today. A pastor preaches and teaches, plans events, organizes drives, dreams of the next crazy event to entertain the youth but the volunteer leaders- they are key. I've listed some reasons below:
Deeper Relationships-
One person (youth pastor) cannot possibly maintain deep connections with every single youth they encounter. Volunteer youth leaders are NECESSARY to carry out these deeper relationships, mentoring, and care- yes there are time that the youth needs to talk with a pastor (every Christian does). With strong, solid youth workers coming alongside a teenager and helping them to 'do life' it provides two key areas in God's Kingdom:
A. Community- We were not created to be separate from each other- God created us to be in community together and often times youth feel alone and segregated. Having leaders who are willing to join them in their life journey builds that community around them.
B. Use of Gifts- Not only is it good for the youth to have adults giving deeper relationships but it is important that ALL of God's people use the gifts that He has given them. Allowing leaders to develop relationships and serve God in youth ministry allows them to use their gifts - fulfilling the calling that God has given them.
Community Connections-
This is different than the community listed above- above it referred more to the Christian community- here we are talking about when youth are in the community and they see their youth leader at the grocery store, at their job, walking their dog, coaching a basketball team, going through the Tim's drive thru (because that is the only drive thru in Florenceville). These community connections help youth to see what being a Christian looks like outside of the church walls- how we interact with other people and show love on a daily basis. Pastors- seek out youth leaders who are active and set a GOOD example in the community. Youth Leaders (and Christian's in general)- You are always being watched by someone- show God's love in every situation.
Breadth of Knowledge-
Pastors- if you are like me you might have education more than you know what to do with. You know what TULIP means or the difference between Martin Luther King Jr and Martin Luther, you probably even have a working understanding of the Pre-Frontal Cortex and know why teens make the ridiculous decisions they do.
Youth leaders- you are important because you keep us youth pastors grounded- we often talk about theological things that interest us but have no meaning to a 13 year old boy who just failed his Math class. Youth leaders are needed to guide and teach about what it is going to be like to go to a 'real' university or what working in the 'real' world with no other Christians in the company looks like.
We all have a testimony, we all have different life experiences, ALL of these are needed to help guide, direct, and encourage youth to serve God no matter where they are or where they are heading in life.... which leads me to the next point...
Intergenerational Importance-
(like what I did there.... two words that start with 'I')
What happens when a teenager suddenly graduates? They are no longer part of the Youth Ministry that has sustained them, encouraged them, pushed them through life. Sometimes their youth ministry has been a substitute for 'real church' - they are worshipping, learning, listening to God so what shouldn't it be that substitute?
Then they graduate and realize that their weekly connection with the church and with God is gone... so some make their way to 'real church' ... they walk in and the only person they recognize is the youth pastor (who might not even be there because they are busy running another service, children's ministry, or other event). This isn't the 'church' they have known for the past 6 years. Having youth leaders from the congregation is VITAL to connecting the Sunday Worship to the Mid-week programs and worship experience.
Youth leaders are not only important for the youth here and now but they are important for the youth five years from now or ten years from now- to see that worship alongside those that are in different life stages is vital to their growth.
(There is WAY WAY WAY more reasons for intergenerational ministry to be happening... but this blog post is ALREADY too long)
Conclusion
So- if you volunteer as a youth leader THANK YOU- you are doing more than preventing injury, playing dodgeball, and enforcing rules- you are building relationships that children and youth won't ever forget. You are making disciples of Jesus Christ, you are fulfilling the great commission.
And if you aren't a volunteer youth leader....
1. What kept you reading this post!?
2. Try to give your youth pastor (or head leader) a heart attack and make that offer! I can guarantee they could use all the help they can get! (and if God has given you those gifts you better use them!)
Final Question: What word(s) would you use to finish this blog title?
Youth Workers are _________.
Showing posts with label Youth Ministry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Youth Ministry. Show all posts
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Eight-teen (Four Benefits to Long Term Youth Ministry)
Today is March 1st 2016.
I realize that it has been almost an entire year since I updated here. But today I felt it necessary.
On September 1st 2014 I packed up my car, bought a Starbucks, and hit the highway for a 7 hour drive. A drive that would end at a small bachelor-type apartment (two old motel rooms converted into one apartment), a small community, and about an hour from Starbucks.
This was 18 months ago.
When I began as Pastor of Youth and Family Ministries at Florenceville Baptist Church it was general consensus that the average tenure for a youth pastor was 18 months. I was reading it everywhere- on blog posts, Facebook statuses, tweets, it seemed to be everywhere... even though I couldn't find out where this information originated from.
I still can't - in fact minds much greater than mine can't seem to find it either. It's an untraceable bit of information that has been floating around the inter webs and I for one am glad that this doesn't seem to be true and that it definitely isn't true in my case. (Or the case of my convention of churches... which is roughly average of 3.5 years)
I'm just getting started at this ministry- just starting to build relationships, just now making memories, finally building trust, and just now starting to see the fruits of the labour that has taken 18 months to build- I can't imagine turning around and leaving now... even for a closer Starbucks (and now with their new points system I wouldn't want to anyway).
I guess the rest of this blog is for those who are starting out or are going through a difficult season in their ministry. I am not an expert- I have only been here 18 months but I can already see the benefits to a long-term youth ministry.
1. Relationships.
Youth are relational beings. No matter their situation in life they strive to feel wanted, accepted, loved, and cared for. Youth who come from 'good Christian homes' and youth who come from broken, destroyed, messy backgrounds all desire this. It was just after my 12 month milestone that one of my youth asked 'How long are you going to be here?' (meaning as their Youth Pastor) and I sarcastically answered 'Well.... I still like you so I'm gonna stick around for a while'
I realize now that that wasn't a smart way to answer that question but it was how I was feeling- I was loving the youth, the community, the church, the ministry and so planned on sticking around.
They took that to say 'When I don't like you anymore I'm out of here'
.... again- I've only been doing this for 18 months.... I'm still learning, I make mistakes.
Building relationships takes time and to come in as a youth pastor, develop a relationships, and build on them is longer than an 18 month process. Imagine the damage you are doing to a youth if they have a different youth pastor every 18 months- that would be 4 different youth pastors during their time in Middle and High School programs. By number 3 they are never going to open up... which leads me to the second reason for long term youth ministry positions.
2. Trust.
Trust is built. Youth are struggling through making their faith their own or developing a faith from scratch. They need someone with whom they can work out that faith with. Someone who can guide them through the tough questions, someone they can turn to when they feel far from God, someone who can assure them that God is with them when life gets messy. Someone they can talk about their messy life with. And no, this isn't always going to be the youth pastor (it's actually better if it isn't a youth pastor- hopefully it is another mentor, a neighbour, a family friend) but the youth pastor who knows the youth's past, who knows where they have been is going to be MUCH more trusted by a youth than one who knows nothing about them.
3. Development of Program.
It's true..... Churches don't like change. For any Pastor heading into their first church be ready.... churches take time to come around to new ideas, new ways of ministering, and letting go of the ways they have operated in the past. This is simply the fact of ANY group of people (have you seen the new way schools do math!? I don't understand it... I don't like it.... but someday I'm going to have to help my children learn it). In a church a youth pastor needs to be willing to go to bat for the youth. Needs to be willing to build trust with the adults of the church so they can try new things, reach new people, make youth programming more engaging and age appropriate for them.... and these programs take TIME to develop.... not only getting approval from adults BUT changing the minds and hearts of the youth from the old to the new AND building it to be what you dream and vision it to be.... don't give up after one failed attempt- perhaps the next will go better.
4. A Time For Everything.
It's true- scripture says there is a time for every season under heaven. And one of the benefits of a long-term youth ministry is experiencing ALL of these seasons with youth, with their families, and with the church.
You will go to a board meeting and be questioned on the scratches on the hallway floor, the lack of Bible Study for High Schoolers, the board will hate your idea of painting the youth room (or creating a youth room). They will get mad at you when youth are distracting during the service or when the gym isn't cleaned up properly after a program and parent's will call you and ask why you haven't invited their child directly on the youth mission trip! You will get frustrated and angry at yourself when attendance is low, when nobody volunteers to help, when you run out of money in September. Somebody will comment about how messy your office is or as you "What do you do all week anyway"- these things will happen. (*This is all hypothetical of course*)
And then your youth will go through difficult times - a family member will die, depression and athletic and academic pressures will kick in. But they will also have celebrations, graduations, baptisms, newer and stronger relationships with Jesus, inviting friends to ministry events. Youth will work at camp, ask you if they can run a food drive, start their own Bible Study, suggest a youth oriented worship night. The board will celebrate the joys of new students in midweek programs, be overcome by the testimony of a youth before their baptism, you will have prayers answered with a new youth leader you didn't expect (okay.... maybe not). There is a time for everything.... and just because Ecclesiastes says 'a season for every activity' it doesn't mean it will all happen in our 4 seasons....
With the bad comes the good, the great. What I am trying to say here is don't become discouraged and leave your ministry because of a bad season. Stick it out- your ministry will benefit from it in the long run. Celebrate the small wins and realize that God has called you to youth ministry- a ministry that thrives in longevity- not in short bursts.
Oh...... and if God hasn't called you to youth ministry but this is just a 'stepping stone' to the 'real thing' then get out of youth ministry and get where God has called you.
I realize that it has been almost an entire year since I updated here. But today I felt it necessary.
On September 1st 2014 I packed up my car, bought a Starbucks, and hit the highway for a 7 hour drive. A drive that would end at a small bachelor-type apartment (two old motel rooms converted into one apartment), a small community, and about an hour from Starbucks.
This was 18 months ago.
When I began as Pastor of Youth and Family Ministries at Florenceville Baptist Church it was general consensus that the average tenure for a youth pastor was 18 months. I was reading it everywhere- on blog posts, Facebook statuses, tweets, it seemed to be everywhere... even though I couldn't find out where this information originated from.
I still can't - in fact minds much greater than mine can't seem to find it either. It's an untraceable bit of information that has been floating around the inter webs and I for one am glad that this doesn't seem to be true and that it definitely isn't true in my case. (Or the case of my convention of churches... which is roughly average of 3.5 years)
I'm just getting started at this ministry- just starting to build relationships, just now making memories, finally building trust, and just now starting to see the fruits of the labour that has taken 18 months to build- I can't imagine turning around and leaving now... even for a closer Starbucks (and now with their new points system I wouldn't want to anyway).
I guess the rest of this blog is for those who are starting out or are going through a difficult season in their ministry. I am not an expert- I have only been here 18 months but I can already see the benefits to a long-term youth ministry.
1. Relationships.
Youth are relational beings. No matter their situation in life they strive to feel wanted, accepted, loved, and cared for. Youth who come from 'good Christian homes' and youth who come from broken, destroyed, messy backgrounds all desire this. It was just after my 12 month milestone that one of my youth asked 'How long are you going to be here?' (meaning as their Youth Pastor) and I sarcastically answered 'Well.... I still like you so I'm gonna stick around for a while'
I realize now that that wasn't a smart way to answer that question but it was how I was feeling- I was loving the youth, the community, the church, the ministry and so planned on sticking around.
They took that to say 'When I don't like you anymore I'm out of here'
.... again- I've only been doing this for 18 months.... I'm still learning, I make mistakes.
Building relationships takes time and to come in as a youth pastor, develop a relationships, and build on them is longer than an 18 month process. Imagine the damage you are doing to a youth if they have a different youth pastor every 18 months- that would be 4 different youth pastors during their time in Middle and High School programs. By number 3 they are never going to open up... which leads me to the second reason for long term youth ministry positions.
2. Trust.
Trust is built. Youth are struggling through making their faith their own or developing a faith from scratch. They need someone with whom they can work out that faith with. Someone who can guide them through the tough questions, someone they can turn to when they feel far from God, someone who can assure them that God is with them when life gets messy. Someone they can talk about their messy life with. And no, this isn't always going to be the youth pastor (it's actually better if it isn't a youth pastor- hopefully it is another mentor, a neighbour, a family friend) but the youth pastor who knows the youth's past, who knows where they have been is going to be MUCH more trusted by a youth than one who knows nothing about them.
3. Development of Program.
It's true..... Churches don't like change. For any Pastor heading into their first church be ready.... churches take time to come around to new ideas, new ways of ministering, and letting go of the ways they have operated in the past. This is simply the fact of ANY group of people (have you seen the new way schools do math!? I don't understand it... I don't like it.... but someday I'm going to have to help my children learn it). In a church a youth pastor needs to be willing to go to bat for the youth. Needs to be willing to build trust with the adults of the church so they can try new things, reach new people, make youth programming more engaging and age appropriate for them.... and these programs take TIME to develop.... not only getting approval from adults BUT changing the minds and hearts of the youth from the old to the new AND building it to be what you dream and vision it to be.... don't give up after one failed attempt- perhaps the next will go better.
4. A Time For Everything.
It's true- scripture says there is a time for every season under heaven. And one of the benefits of a long-term youth ministry is experiencing ALL of these seasons with youth, with their families, and with the church.
You will go to a board meeting and be questioned on the scratches on the hallway floor, the lack of Bible Study for High Schoolers, the board will hate your idea of painting the youth room (or creating a youth room). They will get mad at you when youth are distracting during the service or when the gym isn't cleaned up properly after a program and parent's will call you and ask why you haven't invited their child directly on the youth mission trip! You will get frustrated and angry at yourself when attendance is low, when nobody volunteers to help, when you run out of money in September. Somebody will comment about how messy your office is or as you "What do you do all week anyway"- these things will happen. (*This is all hypothetical of course*)
And then your youth will go through difficult times - a family member will die, depression and athletic and academic pressures will kick in. But they will also have celebrations, graduations, baptisms, newer and stronger relationships with Jesus, inviting friends to ministry events. Youth will work at camp, ask you if they can run a food drive, start their own Bible Study, suggest a youth oriented worship night. The board will celebrate the joys of new students in midweek programs, be overcome by the testimony of a youth before their baptism, you will have prayers answered with a new youth leader you didn't expect (okay.... maybe not). There is a time for everything.... and just because Ecclesiastes says 'a season for every activity' it doesn't mean it will all happen in our 4 seasons....
With the bad comes the good, the great. What I am trying to say here is don't become discouraged and leave your ministry because of a bad season. Stick it out- your ministry will benefit from it in the long run. Celebrate the small wins and realize that God has called you to youth ministry- a ministry that thrives in longevity- not in short bursts.
Oh...... and if God hasn't called you to youth ministry but this is just a 'stepping stone' to the 'real thing' then get out of youth ministry and get where God has called you.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
"No Scooting in the Sanctuary"
Throughout my education (and even now as I continue it) I have been taught (all to many times, in nearly every youth ministry class) that we, as youth workers, need to keep culturally and socially aware of what our youth are dealing with. This means no only looking at media and music but at fads as well. I feel like this is the hardest thing to keep caught up on, like last week I found myself in shock by the latest fad....
Scooters!
Like, the nerdy thing that people who couldn't ride skateboards used to ride around on. The things that were silver with a handle. They are no longer just silver with a handle. Two of the youth showed up on Wednesday with scooters, they were 'tricked out' with the latest deck, the cool design, wheels, everything was custom. One of them even had pegs on the wheels!? That means they are doing tricks on these scooters!? Really!? This would have been unheard of 5 years ago.
Not only are these scooters custom but they are expensive! I just decided to do a quick google search and the first site I looked at had is $330 (I HOPE that is not the price my youth paid!)
http://www.jibsactionsports.com/index.php/pro-scooters/complete-scooters/lucky-strata-pro-scooter.html
I am opening myself to a whole new world here and it excites me, but it meant we had to implement a new rule at youth group: "No Scooting in the Sanctuary"
Now our church is not one to see the building as sacred or worry about the sanctuary or walls or care about such things. We haven't had rules at youth group (other than to show respect), but with such a 'cool' new toy with a limited supply for the number of youth, as well as the damage that tricks and flying metal pieces might do to the building but also the other youth we have told the youth..... "No Scooting in the Sanctuary".
Imagine- I never would have thought.... what is next? I am excited to find out.
Scooters!
Like, the nerdy thing that people who couldn't ride skateboards used to ride around on. The things that were silver with a handle. They are no longer just silver with a handle. Two of the youth showed up on Wednesday with scooters, they were 'tricked out' with the latest deck, the cool design, wheels, everything was custom. One of them even had pegs on the wheels!? That means they are doing tricks on these scooters!? Really!? This would have been unheard of 5 years ago.
Not only are these scooters custom but they are expensive! I just decided to do a quick google search and the first site I looked at had is $330 (I HOPE that is not the price my youth paid!)
http://www.jibsactionsports.com/index.php/pro-scooters/complete-scooters/lucky-strata-pro-scooter.html
I am opening myself to a whole new world here and it excites me, but it meant we had to implement a new rule at youth group: "No Scooting in the Sanctuary"
Now our church is not one to see the building as sacred or worry about the sanctuary or walls or care about such things. We haven't had rules at youth group (other than to show respect), but with such a 'cool' new toy with a limited supply for the number of youth, as well as the damage that tricks and flying metal pieces might do to the building but also the other youth we have told the youth..... "No Scooting in the Sanctuary".
Imagine- I never would have thought.... what is next? I am excited to find out.
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