I've written... somewhere in the labyrinth of this blog... that those who arrive at a new church, either fresh from leaving their previous church amicably or under "less fortunate" circumstances, should be given at least a six month amnesty before they get involved seriously in any ministry.
This lets them get a good feel for the culture of the new church and allows them, if they need it, to begin healing from any damage caused by their previous church experience.
I wonder, as I've spent a bit of time gazing at various youth ministry "expectations of a leader" agreements, how the journey from it's-my-first-week-at-your-church to hi-kids-I'm-your-new-youth-group-leader works.
Personally, I've never had to take the journey.
I wonder how I'd find not being in charge...
I wonder how I'd find not being "up front"...
I wonder how I'd find not setting the agenda...
I wonder how long I'd last before subtly mentioning my past in youth ministry.
How long would it be before I'd start sniffing around the youth ministry activities?
More importantly, how would I go about "just checking it out" without being a creeper?
The more I think about the journey from visitor to volunteer, I increasingly realise the path requires a hearty dose of courage to be willing to put yourself on the line and offer to step up.
No comments:
Post a Comment