Advice for New Youth Ministers
It’s mid-July and my church has welcomed my replacement as I prepare to transition out of being and Youth Pastor and into leading YPT as my full-time ministry in September. I’ve been a Youth Pastor for eighteen years (I think it’s fair to round up to twenty if I count a few years as a volunteer during seminary).
As I navigate this transition, I have the honor of working with my church’s new youth minister for the summer, so I’ve thought a lot about what I’d like to share with others who are new to full-time youth ministry. I’ve modified the guide I developed for my students’ new youth minister, and shared that on our Resources page - I’m praying it will serve you well, too. Use the link below to find that resource.
YPT Guide for New Youth Ministers
Here’s an excerpt from the guide of advice I like to share with new youth ministers.
Regarding Your Soul: Keep Your Eyes on Jesus and Your Feet Rooted in God’s Word
It’s easy for young ministers to allow their new profession to also become their spirituality. Since we are whole people, and not divided selves (family life here, private life there, and public/ministry life over there), there’s going to be a strange mixture of your personal spirituality that is commingled with your ministry. If that isn’t the case, then your ministry is either lacking your personal convictions or your ministry is mere work rather than an overflow of your spiritual vitality.
Developing a healthy prayer life and personal commitment to Bible study is essential. Learn what other disciplines (fasting, journaling, meditation, silence, etc.) strengthen your commitment to prayer and Scripture… and then make an intentional effort to plan around them. This is part of your work. Keep your heart near Christ.
Regarding the Gospel: Preach the Gospel to Yourself First
Some people say your preparation to teach is different from your personal Bible reading. On one hand, that’s true. If you only read the Bible when you’re preparing to teach then there’s a problem. But on the other hand, your preparation to teach should always be devotional, too. If the biblical text hasn’t struck your own life then you aren’t ready to teach it.
It’s fairly common for gospel-centered youth workers to be intentional about giving grace to students but not themselves. The gospel means you can trust the Lord when you bomb a message, or when an event is a trainwreck, or when you lose your cool on your family before heading out the door for youth group. You are a sinner, saved by grace. God obviously knows this, and he has still chosen you to lead this ministry. Preach and apply the gospel to yourself. Walk in grace-saturated repentance. Live with joyful confidence in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Regarding Students: Minister to Your Actual Students, not to “GenZ”
There’s a great benefit to reading the latest research about generations. These types of reports and sociological studies help us understand what’s happening in our students’ worlds. When we understand our students then we can communicate with greater clarity and apply the gospel with wise pastoral care.
Personally, I read everything I can about GenZ by the Barna Group and Jean Twenge. But the students in your youth ministry are not merely statistics in sociological research. The students in your neighborhood will obviously share much in common with teenagers from other parts of the country, but there are particular differences that are important to recognize. This is why ministry to students in urban, suburban, and rural settings don’t look identical. You are called to pastor your students, not an entire generation.
Regarding Leadership: Think Big, Start Small
It’s important to be strategic and to have big ideas about what you want your ministry to become. But hold it loosely and with great patience. As you learn more about your church and ministry culture, you’ll identify areas that you want to see changed. There may even be things that make you think, “That’s not even biblical! Why in the world would we do that?!”
Remember God’s patience towards you. He doesn’t call new believers to repent of every sin all at once. He patiently leads us into holiness. In the same way, keep your eyes on the big picture while making the easiest change possible in the right direction. By making small and easy changes, you’ll prove your trustworthiness and wisdom so bigger changes will be easier. The way you explain and implement these small changes will show them whether or not they can trust your leadership when it’s time for bigger changes down the road.
Regarding Loneliness: Don’t Try to Do Ministry Alone
If your ministry has an existing team of volunteers then warmly embrace them. Few people in the church will want you to succeed more than these men and women. Even if they seem hesitant about changes you want to introduce, don’t assume there’s a power struggle going on. You need to give them the benefit of the doubt and lead them with pastoral care. Meet with them, pray for them, and serve together. One of the best ways for your ministry to develop a healthy gospel culture is for the youth leadership team to love one another genuinely.
If you come to a ministry with few or no volunteers then you will want to pursue the parents. Invite them (and others) to meet together to pray for the youth in your church community. As you prayerfully ask the Lord to call and raise up the next generation, ask them how you can serve and encourage them. Even if the response is small, be faithful in prayer for the students in your ministry and trust the Lord to raise up a team that is committed to reaching your teenagers. When people pray for teenagers a funny thing happens - they begin talking to the teenagers they’re praying for. God will raise up youth leaders in your church if you pray.
There are likely other faithful, gospel-preaching churches in your community. If they have a youth ministry, make the effort to meet their youth leaders. There might already be an active network of youth leaders in your region that you could join. Sure, you probably won’t fully agree with everyone there. That’s ok. Even despite those disagreements, you can learn from seasoned youth leaders, and you can pray for each other.
