Is Your Methodology Of Ministry Still Relevant?

It feels like it should work. Hire a youth minister, start a regular gathering and teens will just show up, right? Might have been the case 10, 15, 20 years ago, but research is showing otherwise. It’s showing us that not only do teens struggle with going to church but believing that God is even real. As a youth minister it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the idea and if you do feel overwhelmed by it, know you are not alone.

So, what are we supposed to do? Dismantle our programs, fire the youth minister and just mark this as a pruning phase in the church? Not at all, it’s time that we look at what we are doing and approach it with a new perspective. Easier said than done, right?

Yes, because it means surrendering our pride and admitting to some unknowns. It means listening to people we might have rejected before and slowing things down in your ministry. The first step to adapting your ministry so that it can keep growing in an ever-changing world is to:

GET OVER THE FEAR TO CHANGE

If you change your programs and your strategy here are some of the consequences you might face:

• Teens will stop showing 
• Parents will question your decisions
• Volunteers will leave
• Your pastor might doubt your ability

Yes, that will happen, but it’s okay because with change comes the fear: Will this even work? And no one likes to admit that they’ve failed. In fact, that’s the biggest fear of most of my clients express, they tell me, “Chris, I don’t want to fail!”

But, if a change is needed and you feel that God is calling for that change, then a little bit of failure is okay. Because sometimes we need to eliminate some of the good stuff, in order to make room for what’s really great. To help you overcome your fear commit yourself to regular prayer.

GET OUT INTO THE WORLD

If you’ve spent years in the youth room, behind a desk and staring at your screen then you’ve missed a whole lot of life. I’m guilty of this, I walk into my office, sit at my desk, blink and the day is over. We might pushback and say that it’s too hard to get out in the world because when we can do it kids are in school and evenings and weekends aren’t always convenient. While that’s true there are other options.

Getting out into the world can include meeting with the other men and women who work with teens. Grabbing a cup of coffee with the local principal, reaching out to the police about their youth initiatives, meeting with pediatricians and family therapists can be beneficial to learning what’s going on in the lives of the next generation.

While there is desk work to be done make it a priority to get out into the community, learn from those who are in it and partner together. These relationships will not only help you create more relevant programming but provide you with opportunities to be more present in a teenager’s life outside the campus boundaries.

GET INTO STRATEGIC THINKING AND PLANNING

How are you growing as a leader? What areas of your life are you challenging yourself? That can be difficult to do and that’s why it’s important to assemble a core leadership team. They can assist you in looking at blind spots in your ministry, being a voice for those you might not hear and help you look at the macro and micro of ministry.

In addition to building a core team, you need to be reading books from within and outside of ministry. Look at other businesses, organizations and leaders who have been successful, adopt the practices that are applicable and grow. Go to workshops and conferences, reallocate your budget towards materials that are going to help you and your leaders better evangelize, catechize and build Christ-like relationships with teens and their families.

Don’t be afraid to be challenged and to move beyond what’s worked in the past. The whole “It’s not broke so don’t fix it” mentality isn’t true. While Truth doesn’t change, the way we share it and help others embrace it does.

If you are struggling with reaching your audience check out the Know Your Audience Resource in our store by clicking the button below.

Don’t let another year go by as you watch the next generation slowly drift away. Get proactive and remind them that God offers us something bigger than anything the world has to.

What practices, speakers or exercises have helped you grow in your ministry?

Know Your Audience

For more on the trends happening with the next generation check out Going, Going, Gone The Dynamics of Disaffiliation in Young Catholics, by Robert J. McCarty HERE.)