I was the goalie for my 7th grade lacrosse team , which meant a lot of responsibility. On top of stopping welt producing shots, I needed to make sure that each defensemen was in harmony with one another. If there was any breakdown in communication disaster would hit. In one particular game, I remember struggling to coordinate the defense, we were definitely not in sync. At one point one of the defenders meant to toss me the ball so that I could throw it down field. I wasn’t paying attention, he was trying to toss it quickly and instead it went right in our own net. Goal for the other team. There was definitely no synergy that game.
Not only does your youth ministry need synergy amongst the volunteers, it needs synergy throughout the entire church. When a ministry has synergy it becomes a movement with incredible fruit. To have youth ministry synergy you not only need efficient communication and team building, you also need:
- Complimenting Visions: Your vision needs to bleed into the overall church’s. In our church the vision is to grow disciples growing disciples. In the student ministry we see those disciples as authentic, consistent and irresistible examples of Jesus Christ. If our students become those disciples we know they’ll continue to grow new ones.
- Intergenerational Serving: A healthy church has synergy where teens are serving alongside of adults. Not only do you provide the church with enthusiasm and energy; you give these teens opportunities to be mentored by God honoring adults.
- Congruent Opportunities: While you want to think outside the box and create new opportunities for teens, you also want situations that are congruent with what their parents are doing. Two ways we do this is through small groups and message series. By encouraging every generation to plug into a small group and giving them a similar message we are confident the conversation of faith will continue at home. Congruent opportunities moves the church together.
- Relationship With The Pastor: You will never have synergy between your church and ministry if you are not on the same page as your pastor. As a youth minister this can be one of the most challenging; yet, rewarding relationships in ministry. To make this happen you need to share what is going on with your pastor. To earn his respect never slander him (Especially publicly) and serve up. A strong relationship between you and your pastor means a strong synergy between your ministry and the church.
When the church moves together it gains an unstoppable momentum. The pull and temptation is to do your own thing and to take full control. When you are not synergistic you create a ministry of tension and suspicion. Take the time to work with the other departments and ministries in your church so you can fuel it to greater things.
What is your biggest obstacle to ministry synergy? What are you doing to create it?