The support team every youth minister should have

Everyone has ministry blind spots.

I believe this is no more evident than youth ministry.

Within this context you’ll be working with children, teens, young adults, adults and oldies.

You’ll significantly cross paths with those of every life stage.

You’ll juggle the needs and expectations of longtime congregants, new believers, families, singles, senior ministers, lay leaders and colleagues.

At times, you’ll feel dragged in a dozen different directions and under the weight of a dozen masters.

So, what can a church do to help?

One thing my first ministry position did - which I didn’t fully appreciate at the time - was to establish a youth ministry team.

The point of this team, primarily, was support.

They would hear my ideas first.

They would be a place to spitball options.

They would be a place to be held accountable.

They would be a place to ask questions.

They would be a place to be questioned.

Most importantly, they would be the place to expose my blind spots.

They would identify issues.

They would raise potential concerns.

They would, most of all, encourage.

But, as I said earlier, they would be a means of support.

They would be the sternest defenders of the ministry.

They would cut off criticism before I ever heard it.

They would put out fires before they reached me.

For, on this team were a diverse mix.

A couple of parents.

A member of each congregation of the church.

A long term influential member of the church.

Someone who initially helped set up the ministry.

A committed teen.

A experienced youth leader.

A trainee leader.

Someone connected to a youngster transitioning into the ministry.

Someone connected to someone transitioning out of the ministry.

A ministry veteran. 

A prayer warrior.

With this diverse group, important decisions can be viewed from alternate perspectives.

As many bling spots as possible should be brought into light.

Vitally, this group should outlive the current ministry agent.

They will be the continuing structure which any new person will step into.

 

Ideally, this group of people will be the network of defence and support which the youth minister will treasure and result in, not just a better thought out and well-rounded ministry, but a placement which is more prepared and peaceful.

Why the late families deserve double the praise

Today the kids and I were late to church.

Not dramatically late, but late nonetheless.

As someone who used to run activities for youngsters on a Sunday morning, it was customary for me to track the arrivals of families on a Sunday morning.

Inevitably, some families would stumble in after the start of the service.

Honestly, I used to get slightly annoyed by the tardiness of some families.

I certainly wouldn’t do that now.

Now, I would be even more thankful that they have turned up to church.

Why?

Because a late family, surely, didn’t intent to be late.

But something happened.

There was an argument…

Breakfast was a struggle…

One of the kids had a meltdown…

Tired parents allowed their kids to sleep an extra 15 minutes…

And, as this situation played out, they had the chance to not attend church.

It ran through my mind this morning.

We could, very easily, have chosen to not attend church this morning.

Taking the girls out to a lazy breakfast was tempting.

But, every late family has decided that church, despite any obstacles, was worth turning up for.

This should be honoured, not looked down upon.

The modern question which is only getting louder

In the past, you may question the originality of something you hear in church.

Perhaps you wonder if they read their outline in a book.

Maybe they have heard it in another sermon.

In the near past, these questions have only gotten louder.

With the invention of the internet, the net for “inspiration” has widened exponentially.

Now, with AI, the net is again being redesigned.

But, this kicks open the door for everything now to be placed into question.

“Is that AI?” I suspect, will be a query which will reverberate around churches far more than any previous ponderance of originality. 

When you’re unknowingly the illustration

I’m not Taylor Swift.

I am not even famous.

I am not a minister’s kid.

I’m not even married to a preacher.

As a result, I’ve probably never unknowingly appeared as a sermon illustration.

But I know of times when something I’ve done has been mentioned.

I’m aware of conversations I’ve been involved in weaselling their way into sermons.

Of course, I’ve been the primary focus of illustrations that I’ve used while preaching.

But I wonder how I would feel if I stumbled across a sermon where I was an illustration.

Obviously, the underlying point would be a significant factor.

Was I a positive or negative example?

Was I an illustration of foolishness or wisdom?

Was I a picture of selfishness or faithfulness?

Chances are, if I get randomly mentioned in a small western Sydney church, I’ll never know - no matter what context or what connection may or may not have previously existed.

I’m curious of what episodes of my life would even make it into a sermon…

Nonetheless, whenever we hear an illustrative tale woven into a homily, we should be reminded of the way God also works in our life and that, potentially, the way we act in church, school, university, home or church can equally become illustrative fodder.

Why youngsters should hear stories of mission over sermons

Lately my eldest has been staying in church for the entire service.

Honestly, the sermons haven’t been a focal point as she has usually well and truely zoned out by then and is immersed in a digital device.

But, my teen has had the opportunity to hear from a number of missionaries over the last few weeks as my (and many Baptist churches throughout NSW) focus on mission work over the month of May.

I suspect this would be far more valuable than a sermon.

As as young person, I want her to see the relevance of Christianity, not just hear the theology.

I want her to hear the stories of lived out faithfulness, not just hear exposition of a passage.

I want her to gain a global perspective of things such as poverty and persecution.

If young people need to be in a church service - no matter if is for the entire service or just the time before they depart for their separate activities - exposing them to genuine stories of mission is time we’ll spent and, frankly, some of the more impactful things they will hear on any given Sunday.