Why You Might Be The Problem

“You say you want us to do something and then you go ahead and do it yourself.”  She was right.  I was the reason people weren’t helping.  I wanted them to step up.  In fact that’s why I had arranged this meeting with my team.  Something had to be done because the quality and attendance of our high school program was declining.  In the end we realized the problem…ME.

When there is a problem it’s easy to blame everyone but yourself.  When it comes to youth ministry we often push blame on the:

• Parents
• Schools
• Teenagers
• The Pastor
• Lack of a Budget
• Apathetic Volunteers

While they could be the source of your issues, it’s important to first look at yourself.  The reason you might be the problem is because you are:

WORRIED ABOUT YOUR REPUTATION

The pressure to be wise, entertaining and attentive to others can be overwhelming.  If your reputation takes center stage then you will sacrifice authenticity and integrity.  Eventually the truth of who you are will overshadow who you are trying to be.  Instead of worrying about your reputation, take the time to ask, “How do others need to experience the love of God?”  Remind yourself that it’s not about YOU.

AFRAID TO DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITY

It’s easier to trust yourself over others.  The problem is that you can spread yourself thin.  To delegate correctly you need to:

• Find people you own the vision
• Allow for risk
• Communicate with clarity

Sometimes you just need to get yourself out of the way so that others can help you with the real problems.

ONLY FOCUSED ON THE SHORT TERM

If you only focus on what’s in front of you, you’ll miss the big picture.  To move your ministry forward you need to THINK and DREAM BIG.  That means having the willingness to take risks.  It means working on a vision, and sharing it with others.  To be able to think short and long term be sure to:

• Designate time in your schedule to do both.
• Have others check-in with you about what you’re dreaming and what’s happening now.
• Keep a journal on what’s happening in your ministry and review it to track progress.

It’s easy to get stuck in the day to day responsibilities of youth ministry.  Do not let the time fly by without pausing and reflecting on what could happen in the future.

Youth ministry is a journey and along the way you’ll face many obstacles.  While some of them are caused by things out of our control, it’s important to ignore that sometimes the obstacle is you.

I realize I’ve only named a few ways we can be the source of our youth ministry’s problems.  What other ways can you and I be the problem?  You can leave your comments below.