Obese Youth Ministry

I’ve been running with an extra 12 to 15 pounds lately; unfortunately, it’s because I gained all this weight after my son was born.  It’s been slowing me down on my runs and when I hit the hills I feel like I’m pulling a piano on my gut.  I know I won’t shed 12 pounds by Saturday when I run the Dreaded Druid Hill 10K, but I have to start trimming the fat.

A youth ministry with a couple of extra pounds is an unhealthy one and you might ask what an overweight youth ministry might look like.  It’s one where the youth minister is burnt out because the work load he or she is carrying is exhausting and overwhelming.  You might think the solution is more ministers and more staff; however, that doesn’t solve the problem.  To lose weight it’s not just about exercising longer and harder, it’s also about finding the right diet.  That’s why every youth minister should look at their:

• Time With God: This is similar to our diets, if we aren’t feeding ourselves spiritually then how can we expect to feed the ministry spiritually.
• To Do List: This is like looking at your workout schedule.  Only running will not make you a better athlete or even a better runner.  If all you are doing is planning events and not spending time on development (research and ministry structure) or training (self and ministers) you can’t expect to have a well rounded ministry.

These aren’t the only two components of a healthy ministry, in fact there is more to it, but I would be interested in hearing what others have to say.  What other components are important to building a healthy ministry?