ReFocus on the mission

Youth ministry is hard.   Don’t get me wrong, it has been incredibly rewarding and I wouldn’t trade it for the world, but working with youth can be one of the toughest things to do.   Youth ministry isn’t a career where you go home at night and put your feet up with nothing on your mind; but rather it is a constant uphill battle struggling day in and day out to fulfill the mission of seeing youth come into a lifelong relationship with God and to engage them in authentic, irresistible, Jesus centered community.   With this mission at the center of what we do it is imperative to be intentional with everything that is done and said.

I remember in my early youth ministry years I was faced with what seemed to be an insurmountable challenge.   A bunch of kids in my youth ministry who didn’t care much about spiritual things, they were immersed in the world and would only come to youth gatherings that were centered on fun events.   When I would plan a gathering that was centered on spiritual things almost no one would show up.     This was incredibly disheartening but with pressure from Church leadership to have significant amounts of youth show up every week it felt like my job was to become the party planner, event coordinator and dating service operator.   I quickly went from passionate about the spiritual formation of adolescents to the coordinator of a YMCA like program (minus the swimming pools).   It didn’t take long to sacrifice my mission and focus, but hey youth were showing up right?

Stay on Mission

Its imperative for youth pastors and leaders to realize that in every context we must continue to be on mission.   The minute we stray from the mission and begin to do things because they are the popular we become ineffective leaders.   So many youth pastors have strayed from the mission of the Church, which is to make devoted disciples of Jesus.   The term Youth pastor can often be synonymous with event planner or babysitter in many contexts and what a strong focus on mission can do is defend against those natural tendencies.

If you minister at a Church that has a generation of youth who could care less about spiritual things, I would encourage you not to cave in and take the easy road of making youth ministry into a social club.  Rather take the long hard road of staying true to the vision and the mission and start building from the ground up.   It might not be the popular thing to do but it will pay off in the long run.   Understand your calling and mission is from God and live out of that calling in all areas of your life and ministry.   You will create a culture over time that will live and breathe this mission.

You’re teaching theology whether you like it or not

Many youth pastors and leaders purposely would say they don’t have a strong focus on teaching theology to their youth.   For them it’s more of a relational setting of fun events and good times. Although I love fun; if that’s the center and focus of your youth ministry than you’re purposely teaching a strong theological statement to your youth.  Our theology drives everything we do and say in our ministries.

I challenge you as fellow youth pastors and leaders to not be tossed around by the latest fad that catches your attention or to cave in to doing what is popular in the eyes of the youth you pastor.   Realize that we are charged by God with the incredible mission of spiritual forming these youth to become devoted disciples of Christ.   That is a tough and sometimes unpopular mission but it the calling we have from Christ.   As you discover the mission, live that out in every aspect of your life.   As a leader your example is a strong theological statement in itself.  Remain faithful to the calling Christ has placed on you and listen attentively to the Spirit who will guide and direct you.

“Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it. Both you and those who hear you will experience salvation” (1Timothy 4:16).