Why Preparation Matters

Back in high school I used to paint houses; however, I did more prep work (i.e. sanding, spackling) than actual painting.  I hated it because it was thankless hard work.  But, my employer would always remind me, “The preparation matters.”

Courtesy of marc falardeau/Creative Commons License

It’s easy to hate the prep work that goes into youth ministry.  It’s the admin, and organizational needs that no one really sees.  But, it all matters because it sets the ministry up for success.  Prep work matters especially when it comes:

YOUR ENVIRONMENTS

Before you have people over your house you clean in it.  The same goes for your youth space.  On top of cleanliness your youth space should be organized for the format of your program.

Every time someone walks into a new environment it impacts their mood and even behavior.  If it’s disorganized people will be less engaged.  Designate a part of your week to walk through before opening doors.

RUNNING EFFICIENT MEETINGS

The reason meetings run long or feel like torture is because they are thrown together.  If you plan to meet with people remember that you are asking for their time.

• Put together an agenda.
• Keep to start and stop times.  
• Think about the purpose behind the meeting
• Set goals.

When you prepare you put intention behind a meeting.  When there is intention then there is value.

COMMUNICATING WITH TEENS

The idea of just winging your message or program is like playing with fire.  When you plan anything you need to be able to answer:

• What you want people to know?
• What you want people to do?
• How you are going to help them move in the right direction?

To answer those questions takes time, research and reflect.  Craft a message, plan out an activity and then test it out.  Make sure what you are trying to do works with what you have.

Sometimes you are only going to have one shot with your audience.  Don’t ruin it because you are too busy.  To make sure you are well equipped and prepared focus on:

Building Margin: Look at your schedule and prioritize it.  With more margin you have more time to make adjustments and recover from mistakes.  (For more on margin read here) then look at your calendar.

Developing Discipline:  You don’t have to be a creature of routine to have discipline.  You just need to be able to set goals and intentionally work on behavior.  Write down the disciplines you want to embrace and find someone to you hold you accountable.

Seeking Accountability: To help you prepare you need people who are going to pick you up, call you out and cheer you on.  Ministry is messy and without the right people on your side you’ll burn out.

Don’t squander the opportunity you have to speak into the next generation.  Invest in them by investing in how you prepare.  It might seem thankless work, but it will bare more fruit than you can imagine.