How To Do Youth Ministry In A Busy Culture

The emails and phone calls were pouring in and they all asked the same question, ”I can’t make the meeting tonight, do I have to be there?”

I was frustrated because I had sent out the dates months ahead. I had spent hours preparing and didn’t want to cancel, but what was the point of having a meeting no one could attend? 

It’s a frustration many of us face when it comes to:

• Attracting teens to our ministry
• Inviting parents to attend a meeting
• Asking our volunteers to attend a training

We set the date, get word out but there is always an excuse as to why someone can’t make it. We blame them for not having their priorities straight. We get frustrated because what once worked is now broken.

Ministry in a busy world is difficult but not impossible. It takes a little creativity and a change in perspective. To embrace the busyness you need to first let go of the excuse:

BUT THAT’S THE WAY WE’VE ALWAYS DONE IT

Ministry systems, like cars breakdown over time. They need to be tweaked and adjusted. While I struggle with connecting with people in an over scheduled world I’ve found the following tips have worked for me:

Get out from behind your desk and desktop

It’s easy to get caught behind your desk. While there is plenty of work sitting in front of you there are plenty of distractions as well. If you get out from behind your desk you can:

• Visit coworkers in neighboring offices and build relationships
• Grab a cup of coffee or a bite to eat with a volunteer during their work break
• Check out the local high school soccer or basketball game

Take the time away from your desk to invest in relationships. It might not feel like work at first, but you now have the opportunity to:

• Offer wisdom and council with a struggling teen or parent
• Share the vision with a current or potential volunteer
• Remind people how accessible the church is to their everyday lives

It’s work that doesn’t always show instant results, but the effort you are pouring into those relationships will pay off in the long run. You’ll build up advocates and connect people to the authentic love of Jesus Christ.

Narrow down the menu

If you go to a diner you better know what you want, because making a decision from the menu can be torture. Unfortunately, some church bulletins do the same thing.

To be accessible churches need to clarify what they want their members to do and know. Before you add another program take the time with your team to:

• List out all the ministries you offer
• Review their impact by doing a simple assessment
• Decide what needs to stay, what should be eliminated and what needs to be adjusted.

Deciding what stays and what goes is an emotional process, but it will help you clarify exactly what your church offers. Once you have that list develop a communication plan. Make sure you are able to help answer the questions:

• What do you want me to know?
• What do you want me to do?
• How are you going to help me do this?

Keep it simple because people crave clarity. A busy world is also a noisy one. Don’t lose parishioners because they didn’t know what you expected out of them.

Break away from traditional meetings

Asking people to sacrifice time, energy and even money to come to a meeting can be an uphill battle. While nothing an replace face to face there are other options like:

• Utilizing technology like group messaging (I use Slack) or webinar software (I use Zoom.us) to host the meeting. 
• Host a meeting at someone’s home. It makes it a little less formal, and it could be more accessible, at least for one of your team members.
• See if you can communicate everything through videos and an email campaign. 

Again, face to face is the way to go. But when it’s not always doable get creative and connect outside. Meet people where they are so that you can help them slowdown and connect with Christ.

How are you successful in doing ministry in a busy world?

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