How Writing Will Improve Your Youth Ministry

If you aren’t a good writer your ministry will suffer.  I know that might sound odd considering youth ministry is very relational and writing doesn’t seem to mesh with that, but it’s true.

Writing is a skill that every youth minister needs to develop.  It’s not only an investment in yourself but in your ministry.  And that’s because the more you write:

THE QUICKER YOU’LL LEARN 

There is going to be a lot that you experience, and witness during your journey of youth ministry.  To forget it would be a shame.  In fact, the reason you want to keep a journal is so that you can record:

• Mistakes that you’ve made so that you don’t repeat them.

• Highlights from your ministry so that you can share them with others.

• Names of teens, parents and potential volunteers so that you will remember them.

Record your journey and you’ll give yourself (and others) a guide for growing the ministry.  Keep it in a journal, or start a blog.  Don’t leave it all to memory. (Check out: Writing and Remembering: Why We Remember What We Write)

THE FURTHER YOUR GRATITUDE WILL GO

You can never thank someone enough.  In fact expressing your gratitude to volunteers, parents, teens and coworkers is important for so many reasons (Read more about the power of gratitude HERE).

Writing out a thank you note can have a larger impact because it slows you down.  And you:

• Can’t rely on autocorrect.

• Want to make sure your handwriting is legible.

• Are limited with how much to write depending on the size of the paper you use.  

The recipient of the note will appreciate the time it took for you to write it out.  Your gratitude will be received with their gratitude.  And where there is gratitude there are healthier relationships.

THE CLEARER YOUR COMMUNICATION WILL BECOME 

I’m not a natural writer.  In fact, I struggled in high school and college, but after years of practicing and receiving wisdom and help from others, my writing has improved.  As my writing has improved so has my ability to communicate.

The clarity of your communication is clear and that’s why it’s important at times to:

• Write out what you want to say for a talk or speech.

• Take time to edit your emails and social media posts.

• Layout your vision, mission, and goals.

When you write it down it gives you the time to process and evaluate whether or not you are being clear.  It might take a minute more, but the payoff is worth the time.

Set aside time to make writing a part of your ministry.  It might seem like more work, but it’s an investment in yourself.  The better your writing the better your communication, your memory and the relationships you form around you.