Why Nothing Seems To Change

Last week I was in Austria meeting with church leaders and what struck me was the similarity in some of the obstacles they faced. When it comes to reaching the next generation they were finding despite all their efforts nothing was changing.

Courtesy of Petit_Louis/Creative Commons License

Youth ministry can get frustrating because the amount of work you put into it doesn’t always match the reward you expect to get from it.  This can only mean two things, you either need to:

CHANGE YOUR EXPECTATIONS 

or

CHANGE YOUR STRATEGY

To figure out what needs changing requires:

DEDICATED TIME IN PRAYER

A leader who is praying is asking God for clarity on the vision and mission.  If you spend time asking God to reveal to you what needs to be done He will answer by:

• Showing you fruits when you are moving in the right direction.

• Sending you men and women who care about the vision as much as you.

• Reveal to you opportunities to build on what you are doing.

Trust in God is huge and it’s something you need to embrace on a daily basis.

SEEKING WISDOM FROM OTHERS

Every leader needs an advisory team.  This team is dedicated to helping the leader discern decisions, troubleshoot problems and work towards the vision.

This isn’t a team of doers, but ones who will remind you what needs to be done.  They are a team of people who can pull you out of the trees to see the forest.

Pick people who love you and know you.  Make sure they are able to focus on the big picture and not get stuck in the details.

SPENDING TIME REVIEWING GOALS

You only know if you are making progress when you can look back to see how far you have come.  Make sure you set tangible, actionable and challenging goals.  Review them on a regular basis (I’m doing it daily) so that you can determine what needs to be adjusted, strategy or expectations.

WORKING ON YOURSELF

Your frustration by not be caused by a poor strategy but a lack of humility and patience.  On top of prayer make sure you are taking care of your physical, mental and emotional health by:

• PHYSICAL: Eating right and working out.

• MENTAL: Attending conferences and reading books.

• EMOTIONAL: Focus on relationships and join a small group.

The more you work on yourself the more confident you will be.  The more confident you are the more you will be able to recognize where changes need to be made.

Youth ministry will be faced with frustrations and they need to be addressed.  If you spend your time just angry and mad at everyone without making a change you’ll burn yourself out.  Look at your expectations and look at your strategy.  Adjust it and continue to listen to God’s plan for you.