Facing The Elements In Youth Ministry

My buddy and I were heading to Vermont for a little ski trip when we were met by a heavy snow storm.  It was difficult to see, and our speed significantly decreased.  We didn’t want to stop, we just wanted to get to our destination.  We pushed on and defied the elements.  What would have been a 6 hour drive turned into 15.

Granted I was young, bold and a little crazy; however, when the elements are against you it’s tempting to stop.  Pressure means discomfort, but comfort in your youth ministry can lead to atrophy and irrelevance.  A healthy and growing youth ministry needs to be able to face the challenges that come with youth ministry.  To be battle tested and ready for anything you and your youth ministry need to:

• Focus On Health: The emotional, spiritual, and even physical battles of youth ministry can wear you done.  Taking care of yourself is key.  That means maintaining a schedule, surrounding yourself with accountability and staying physically healthy.  Do not be afraid for outside help, but the healthier you are, the more you will be able to take. (For more on finding rest click here)

• Build Team Unity: Your ministry team needs to work well together.  To take on the elements you need to make sure people are willing to engage conflict, communicate consistently and trust one another.  This means taking time to address unresolved issues and coming around a common vision.  

• Constantly Strategize: You will never arrive as a youth minister.  Youth ministry is a growing movement and stagnation will kill it. Take on the challenges by first identifying the elements and then putting a plan into place.  You need to focus on the vision, creating a mission statement and measuring your youth ministry’s health.  Tweak, build and consistently dream where God wants to take you and your youth ministry. (For more on ministry health, click here)

In the end you need to trust that God is leading you.  Our God is the God of the impossible, He can take on any element.  If your are not working on your faith, it’s going to be extremely difficult to take on crises, and attacks from the evil one.  Build your confidence in Him and He’ll build it in you.

How are you taking on the elements in youth ministry.