Youth ministry is still a fairly modern development within the church. Based on my research, we have had specialized ministry to teenagers for around 150 years. Considering the church has been around for 2,000 years, youth ministry is the maturity equivalent to one of the middle schoolers in your group.
Just like the students in your middle school ministry, we are still trying to figure out how to do life, what is acceptable, and what is off limits. We are still in the pushing-boundaries time of development. We are also in that time when some parts of our character are beginning to settle and, if we aren't careful, we might settle into the wrong habits. Similar to a 7th grader, we need to ask ourselves what we want our life (and ministry) to look like as we mature.
So, here are five youth ministry fixtures that I believe we should not allow to settle.
#1 Going It Alone. You Are Not Han Solo.
If you've been in youth ministry for more than two minutes, you've already realized this truth: there are more students than you. There is a lot of work to do, and we were not made to do it alone. We must think beyond ourselves and rely on others.
First of all, rely even more on God; you are not the Savior. Second, recruit and train more leaders; you need team. Third, get students outside your ministry and engaged in serving. Partner with other churches and ministries in your community for a greater impact. We are in this together, and together, we can actually make a difference in a generation of young people.
#2 Ignoring Parents Equals Missed Opportunity
I learned early on in ministry from a great mentor that I need to work with parents. If parents truly are the primary spiritual leaders of their children, what are we doing to make sure they are prepared to do that well? The couple hours that we have with students is not enough to truly make an impact. The hours upon hours that parents have with their teen is another story. How are we partnering with parents to disciple young people?
#3 Thinking That Events Equal Ministry
One of the reasons I love youth ministry is because I'm really just a big kid myself, and boy do I love a good youth ministry event! Pulling off a big event that leaves a bunch of teens saying, "That was awesome!" is a great feeling. But that's just it. It's a feeling. Events are not a bad thing, but if we are focused on that being our win, we might find ourselves feeling more like an event planner than a youth pastor.
Instead, make sure you have a strategy for your events. What do you want students to learn when they attend the event? What's the next step they should take after the event? How are you following up with event participants? Youth ministry should not be about drawing a big crowd. Our focus must be on impacting teens so they are forever changed by the gospel.
#4 Overlooking Non-Inclusion and Discrimination
We at NNYM are intent on reaching every student in every community. How are you doing that in your ministry? Do the games you play, songs you select, and illustrations you use appeal to a particular demographic but exclude others? We need to be more intentional in this area. Ask the hard questions and gain perspective. Then, implement new methods and strategies to move in the right direction.
One way to address this is to broaden your leadership team. Get people who look different than you, speak differently, and have different backgrounds to partner with you. When students see different types of people on stage we are showing them that the Kingdom of God is much more diverse than we have previously led them to believe.
#5 Failing to Empower Students
If we are going to truly make a difference in the next generation, we need to begin thinking about young people differently. It's been said many times before, but our students aren't the church of tomorrow, they are the church of today.
So how are we helping them see themselves as the church? How are we handing them the "keys of leadership" that Kara Powell speaks about in Growing Young? Rather than just sitting in a room and talking about Jesus, how are we empowering them to ultimately bring Jesus to our broken world?
Re-Evaluate and Re-Focus Your Youth Ministry
It's time to evaluate, reprioritize, and allow some fixtures to die-or even be willing to kill them-to build a better foundation for our students. As youth leaders, we are called to lead. Part of leading is making difficult decisions for the benefit of those we lead. Ask God for the courage to step up. And, if you need encouragement, we are here for you.
The future of youth ministry is exciting. LET'S GO!
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Steve Cullum is the Colorado State Coordinator for NNYM. He has been serving in student ministry since 1999. Steve blogs about ministry and hosts the Student Ministry Connection podcast. He also enjoys playing Nintendo, being outdoors, and watching movies.