Youth Ministry- Where Do You Start?

Jun 07

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Where to start with a new youth ministry position is a question we hear all the time.  So here is your first 60 days.

 It is time to go wide.  One of the most important things to high school and middle school age kids is that you and your team know their names.  Seems simple enough, but you have to get this right.  We have developed a process to do this.

  1. Get the church roll of the youth group names and ages.
  2. What schools do most of the kids go to?  They have provided you with the ultimate tool.  The school yearbook.  Go to the school and get your own copy.
  3. Prayerfully, and this starts a great prayer habit, look up each teenager and cut out his or her picture, or use some digital form. I suggest you do not keep this in your phone.
  4. Get a real good card index file box and 500 4X6 cards.  Tape or glue the picture to a card and write their name.  Then write basics, such as 10th grade at Slapknot High School.  If the church has a directory, write details, such as brothers, sisters and family.
  5. Study these cards and memorize names as hard as you would study for a systematic theology test, well maybe harder.

 Do not write anything on these cards of a personal nature that you would be embarrassed for the individual youth or their friends to see.  Keep these cards with you for prayer, study and memorization. If you do this in digital forms using your data base try to make this to where you can study the names and faces in hard copy.

 Also in the first 60 days:

Get acquainted with expectations.  The old joke is that church people better get it right the first time because that is the way they will be doing it for the next 50 years.  Some people like change some do not.  Your job is to find out where the sacred cows are.  Write down your observations. A word of caution:  watch what you write down and where you keep it.  Do not write negative personal items or if you do, keep it under lock and key. Sound ominous?  Not really.  The key is not to insult anyone.  People in the church can have huge ego issues.  Be kind, tread lightly, and keep your mouth shut for 60 days.  Ask, do not tell.  Observe, do not change.  Gather advice and walk in wisdom.

 For 60 days, observe and write.  This is how you start right. Learn the names.  Learn the cultures.  Are there rivalries among the schools?  Are there rivalries among the parents or staff?  Various factions will be trying to control you.  Be wise.  Talk, pray and enjoy the hospitality of the people, but wait on the Lord.

 Items to observe:

     1.       Age makeup of the kids that come regularly and school cultures.

      2.       Which parents seem helpful and why.  Propose to “do lunch” with them.  But get to know them not for what you want from them, but for who they are and what they expect from you.

       3.       What was your predecessor like?  Where are the mine fields from him or her?  What programs did they do?  Get a grip on music, talks, videos, equipment, facilities, etc.

         4.     Get to know the staff.  Since you are new, the temptation will be to talk too much.  There will be plenty of time for you to talk, but for now, listen, probe and pray.  People love to talk about themselves, so let them talk.  Start a card for parents and staff too.  Write on their card details such as the names and ages of their children and factual details.  It is awesome when you can call a parent by name and ask how their son at college (by name) is doing.  Again, do not write anything personal like the assistant pastor went to a lib seminary or his secretary is the big fat lady named Sue.  Written stuff can be a mine field.

 Most youth ministers think they have been hired to put on awesome programs.  Do you know why?  Because that is what most people are looking for.  When youth ministers get together, what do they talk about?  How many kids they have coming on Wednesdays or Sundays.  Right?  How good is the band?  How many kids went to camp?

 When you build a skyscraper, the first thing you do is dig real deep footings.  In fact, you may spend months before anything comes out of the ground.  But after the building is built, the pictures are taken of what is above ground.  Everyone looks at the top floors, but not the engineers.  They are always checking the foundation for cracks.  You have to start there.  Relationships not programs.  This is hard work.  It does not just happen.  Names, names and more names.

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