I forgot to set up my away message on my email. At first, I didn’t think it was a big deal, but I could see that to one parent in particular that it was. Each email contained assumptions that I didn’t care about her kid signing up for camp. She took my lack of response as a way of not valuing her situation. The reality is I wasn’t available. A simple note stating that I was away when I would return, and who they could have contacted would have been so helpful.
One of the biggest challenges with leading a ministry is figuring out how to be accessible even when you are not available. Being available means being always present while being accessible means easy to find. As a leader, you want your wisdom, knowledge, gifts, and talents to be accessible. To do that, without being present all the time means:
SETTING A CLEAR SCHEDULE WITH BOUNDARIES
While youth ministry isn’t a 9 to 5 job, you still need general hours, and there are two reasons for this:
REASON #1 When we don’t have a schedule, it’s easy to stretch ourselves thin and lose sight of what is most important. Without calendars, we can get caught in a specific task and ignore what’s happening around us. A reliable schedule gives us a clear start and stop times. It will also allow us to reprioritize our functions based on our energy levels.
REASON #2: When our schedule isn’t clear to others, then they are more likely to interrupt our progress or grow frustrated by our lack of accessibility. People will approach you based on what works for them. They won’t consider that you are in the middle of deep work or trying to answer emails. Your dinner time with family might be earlier, and if they don’t know that you are away, they might get frustrated with your lack of response.
Boundaries create clear expectations and protect you at the same time. If you struggle to set your schedule, then try my resource TIME SAVERS. It’s a simple tool to help you sort out what matters most. If you want people to work with your schedule, let them know:
- When they can reach you
- How to best contact you
- When they usually can expect a response
You don’t have to create the same rules for everyone (e.g., you might want to give volunteers more access than parents), but letting them know what works and what doesn’t is critical. Lastly, remember that schedules change so you’ll need to make sure this is something you address on a regular (i.e., monthly) basis.
DELEGATING BEYOND YOUR CAPACITY
To reach more people, you need more people. It’s important to remember that we are not called to love others on our own. To expand beyond your capacity, you need to learn how to AMPLIFY your STRENGTHS and SUPPLEMENT your WEAKNESSES. To:
AMPLIFY YOUR STRENGTHS recruit people who see the big picture. Hold them up as qualified leaders who can do the things that you do. Encourage parents, teens, and other parishioners to value them as leaders and resources. People will no longer rely on you, and you’ll be able to do more through others.
SUPPLEMENT YOUR WEAKNESSES recruit people who are strong where you struggle. These volunteers could serve in areas of administrative work, training, or speaking. No matter the role they serve, make sure it’s something that allows you the freedom to focus on your strengths. Their ability to help you will give you the ability to reach more people.
If you need help understanding your weaknesses or strengths, ask a coworker, friend, or family member that understands your ministry. Don’t push back or make excuses; instead, listen to what they are saying and use it as a starting point to delegating beyond your capacity.
FOCUSING ON QUALITY COMMUNICATION
Even if you have a high functioning team, it’s still impossible to be available all the time, and that’s why investing in a communication strategy utilizing websites, email marketing, and social media. To use these forums effectively, you need to understand your audience and track their frequently asked questions.
To get started, put together a focus group of parents and teens. Ask them questions that help you understand not only what is going on in their lives but in the lives of their peers, classmates, and neighbors. Go through old emails and look for common threads to people’s needs. As you learn more about what they face, you’ll be able to create a communication strategy that addresses their needs.
After you gather the information create a home base where that content lives (Usually an FAQ page on your website) and then drive people towards it with your social media and newsletter pushes. There will still be people who want to connect with a person; however, making information accessible will address many of their needs.
It can be frustrating not being able to reach everyone. We want to make sure everyone is happy and satisfied, but the reality is that it is impossible. It would be a struggle to meet everyone’s demands even if you could reach them all. A problematic part of youth ministry is learning your limitations and remember that God is doing much more than you will ever know. That means focusing on what He’s called you to do, investing in those around you ready to learn and continually investing in yourself as a leader.
How do you create a culture of accessibility in your ministry?