Seven Things Youth Pastors Tell Me in Secret
- Posted by: Todd
- Posted on: Mon, June 19, 2006
- Viewed 36
- (6) comments so far
1. Some things don’t work like they used to (e.g., reaching the quarterback, having the best laser light show in town)
2. I’m stuck between models (e.g., do I go hi-tech, emergent, or tent meeting?)
3. I’m not enjoying this like I thought I would (i.e., too many hours, too much family stress, not enough life-giving input)
4. The kids don’t know their lines (i.e., I do the right stuff, but they seem to have missed a meeting)
5. “Success” is a moving target (i.e., if the group grows I am a “success;” if it shrinks I am a failure)
6. I’m feeling isolation on every level (e.g., the disconnect from Sunday AM culture, the personal disconnect with the senior pastor)
7. I need a deep burning inside (i.e., I want God to move in me and in my students so something happens that no one can explain)
You can read more here…
For Discussion: Well… all you youth pastors out here… what do you think of this list? Is it pretty realistic?
Blog D'Earl recently wrote about the seven things that youth pastors tell him in secret. He writes, "These conclusions came from interviewing youth pastors in confidential settings where they felt self. I discovered a "secret world" unknown to me before, and also learned just how much I like and respect these people." Read the list and see what you think...Comments
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Jason Sansbury on Mon, June 19, 2006
As someone who mentors youth ministers, these ideas are all very good ones. I would say one of the key concerns that I hear from youth workers is the lack of institutional support from denominational headquarters and higher ups.
Many youth pastors feel de-valued as people involved in ministry, despite working with emotional, moody, hormonally imbalanced young people, their parents and adults that are drawn to youth ministry. That can create a stressful life.
So what about solutions? I think a group interested in investing long term in the life and value of youth workers would do the following:
1. Create safe networks where people can share their concerns, issues, etc. The church a youth pastor works at isn’t a healthy place for them to vent their concerns. A gathering of other youth workers could be.
2. Provide retreats and opportunities for the nurturing of the youth worker’s soul. He/She need time to re-group, re-load and re-charge, both as a believer and as a minister.
3. Encourage veteran youth pastors to invest in the lives of younger youth workers in their area. Most groups/denominations provide mentoring for senior pastors but not for youth workers.
Just my thoughts…
BeHim on Mon, June 19, 2006
I guess I’ve been blessed with groups that have parents that really care about The Word of God and their children learning and being grounded in it.
We do verse-by-verse expositional studies and primarily have spent time on Defending The Faith, Theology and the Charachter and Nature of God.
I don’t really struggle with the emotional aspects of feeling like a success or failure. I’ve been called to equip them for every good work in the ministry of their life.
They are very smart and have grown in their knowledge and understanding of scripture.
If I had one area I could make suggestions it would be in training on lesson plans and organizing thoughts. The sermons I present are not as fluid as the pastor and it would be nice to learn the trade of organizing and formulating.
kent on Mon, June 19, 2006
These are not unique to the youth pastorate. You could go down the line on many of these for serving in any position in a church. Success is always going to be a mvoing target. Ask the senior pastor if he or she was hired to “grow the church down”? Senior pastors are often as isolated if not more. I do not think ministry can be accomplished in 40 hours per week, and in my church if you did a poll many of the people we ask to volunteer are putting in over 50 hours a week at their jobs. They work nights and weekend too.
The point is ministry is hard, perhaps harder now than ever. But it still has rewards and can offer a great life. We all need spiritual vitality. We all need community. We all need places where we can feel safe. Sometimes you have risk and ask for time, community and rleationships. And we are called. We are called to serve our God in the most essential mission possible. Job satifaction is always trumped by call. I do all I can to guard my staff. If they need time they have it. We try to pay them well. We have fun together. But ministry is hard.
snoop on Tue, June 20, 2006
yes, ministry is hard, youth work has its’ own special challenges that makes it tougher in some areas than in other areas of ministry.
the first thing that came to mind here is that they left out “the cycle” the fact that there is a huge degree of turnover… high school guys get four years, middle school guys get three, or those that do both get seven… tops, and then you lose the people you have spent years investing in.
the other thing that I think often gets missed, and is probably most significant, is that youth pastors tend to be young… many times they have been in ministry for less than ten years, and are pretty impressionable and looking to learn the trade… the unfortunate thing is that often they are left to fend for themselves, and not well mentored… and that leads to bad, bad things.
the beauty of it though is that if you stick around for a while, you get to see the fruit of your ministry down the road. one of the best parts of my job is to get a phone call from a kid I mentored in seven or eight years ago, and to hear how his life is going, and how God is still moving in him… that is what makes all the struggles, the woundings, and the beatings worthwhile.
Ezra on Mon, June 26, 2006
The Peter Principle applies to pastors. If they’re capable of managing a large organization, with a large budget and with many duties, they’ll grow the church to that level. Of course, the ones who can’t manage their own checkbook and run their households out of “God put me in charge, so do what I say or God will be mad at you” - those pastors grow their churches down to a managable level and leave them there.
Gman on Sat, August 05, 2006
These aren’t secrets. They are more likely things that need to be addressed with the church and to keep youthworker abuse from happening - and from the youth pastor staying only a few years to a long term successful ministry. If we quit viewing YM as a crutch and as real ministry that might be a start.
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