What Youth Ministry IS and What It ISN’T
Our friend and ym360 Contributor, Andy Disher, asked two questions the other day on his Facebook Wall that got me (and several others) thinking:
What is Youth Ministry? And what isn’t Youth Ministry?
Simple questions. Fun questions. And man, it really got me thinking. (Way to go, Dish!)
There were a lot of responses on Andy’s Wall. He even wrote a couple blog posts about it, which you can access by clicking here.
I wanted to use this space today to answer these questions in my own way. But, I thought we might have a little fun, as well.
After reading my responses, why don’t you give your responses here, as well? You can leave them in the comments below, or, if you have a blog, write a blog post about it. If you leave a trackback, or a comment telling me you’ve written a blog post, I’ll come back in this article and link to your blog.
UPDATE!!!
- Paul Martin, one of the best youth ministry thinkers and practitioners I know, posted his thoughts at his blog, Being Ministry. Check it out!
- Add another! The latest to post a response is Phil Bell! Phil’s blog is one of my favorite youth ministry blogs. I love his take on the question. You can check it out here!
So, here we go . . .
What is Youth Ministry? Youth Ministry is . . .
- Built on the Foundation of Knowing and Living Out God’s Word. If we don’t start here, nothing else matters.
- Relationships. It is the language of what we do.
- Disciple-making. Walking with students on their journey of discipleship is the heart of youth ministry.
- Sacrifice. Enough said.
- Managing Expectations. We should always expect great things from students, yet, always remember we work with teenagers.
- Relentless Commitment. Not just to students (that’s the easy part), but to all other stuff that we sometimes want to run from.
- Vulnerability. It’s key.
- Communication. Because without it, our greatest plans or goals are crippled.
- Rising Above Our Limitations. Trusting that God has empowered us to do the task He has called us to, and relying on His strength.
- Messy, Emotionally. (This is actually a good thing.)
- Messy, Literally. (Paintball, mud football, water day at camp, and so on.)
- Frustrating. Just a part of it. The goal is to roll with it.
- Hilarious. Always.
- An Invitation Into Other’s Lives. And this may be one of the most rewarding aspects.
- Teaching. With words and actions
- Respect. Given to students, and expected in return.
We’d love to hear your thoughts, as well, on what you think youth ministry is.
Now, What is Youth Ministry NOT? Youth Ministry is Not . . .
- Entertainment for entertainment’s sake.
- A baby-sitting service or a travel agency.
- Yours. The ministry you are a part of is God’s. You are (or should be) a steward.
- An attempt to imitate culture in our programs or language.
- Poorly executed. This has nothing to do with production. This has everything to do with proficiency.
- You spending your energy on trying to look cool.
- About competition with the other churches in your community.
- A one-person show.
- A separate church within your church.
- You trying to be a student’s BFF.
- About numbers, programs, or production value.
- Boring. Seriously.
- Unnecessary. If your youth ministry is not playing a vital role in the loves of your students and in the life of your Church, shouldn’t you ask yourself if what you are doing is working?
Again, we’d really love your thoughts on what youth ministry isn’t. Share them in the comments below, or link us to your blog post where you come up with your own list.
And a big “THANKS” to Andy Disher for starting us off on this thread. Hope to hear some great thoughts from you, too!
Have an awesome day.
Andy Blanks is the co-founder of youthministry360. Andy has worked in youth ministry for 12 years, almost exclusively writing, designing, and developing curriculum. Andy is a volunteer youth leader with his church’s youth group, leading a small group and speaking and teaching whenever he gets the chance. He is a teacher at heart and loves to challenge teenagers and youth workers alike through his writing and speaking.
I agree with everything on both lists. Sometimes I think we (Youth Ministers & leadership) get to caught up in the numbers game and not about changing lives. Also, we tend to lose focus on how important the building up of relationships is to the teaching students. Students are not going to trust you if you don’t have a relationship with them. I’ve been in Youth Ministry for over 10 years now. The one thing that lasts and the one thing that the students remember is if you took the time to get to know them. Did you take the time to spend in building a relationship outside of just the Youth Group setting? Now, I understand that no matter what you do, some students aren’t going to make the choice to accept Him no matter how much time you put in. But, I’ve realized that the students who get it and the students who make a difference and stand up for their faith, are the students that I’ve personally invested time with. Going to their sporting events, taking them places, doing things with them. Just living out my faith in front of them. Because lets face it, if they don’t see you doing it, they won’t want any part of it.
I guess the one thing that I’ve built my ministry around is relationships. And that seems to have helped me reach the students.
This is great, Adam. Relationships outside of just the youth group time are an absolute must. Thanks for sharing!
Adam, I love that you are aware that not every student who graces you with their presence : ) is going to accept Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. While I want every teen I meet to understand how their lives can be changed forever, I also understand that I may not see that change. Youth ministry can and should present the Gospel first and foremost while providing a safe atmosphere for any teen to come and be welcomed. Any little bit of Christ they see they will keep in their hearts forever. It’s called planting seeds. We may or may not ever see those seed sprout, but that is what we are called to do.
[...] Update: Andy has taken up the call over at YM360. Read his excellent article here. [...]
Especially loved
“An Invitation Into Other’s Lives. And this may be one of the most rewarding aspects”
Great job. Heal quickly.
Thank you partner! And I am linking to your blog post!
I’d say we need to add to the list of “what youth ministry is not” the following;
Youth ministry is NOT about the building or the youth room. I’m not saying we shouldn’t have a place to meet, but when that place to meet becomes so comfortable we rarely GO out, that’s not youth ministry. Let’s think about Jesus and his youth group. They spent more time meeting in homes and outside the temple. They weren’t concerned about having the latest technology or coolest decorations or hippest worship team. Our youth rooms and churches need to be a “safe place” for students to meet, but Jesus didn’t call us to make disciples that will live a safe life. He called us to make disciples that will GO, willing to take risks in the name of jesus and spread the gospel, and make more disciples. In America we have taken the blue print and principles for the church found in the Books of Acts and have distorted it all in the name of cultural relevance. Do we need to be relevant based on our culture? Yes. But not at the expense of the principles God has clearly laid out for us and the example Jesus himself set.
I love this thought, Brian. If I remember correctly, Tim Schmoyer had a spirited post on his blog a year or so ago about this same topic. I know you could attest to this as well, but some of the most vibrant youth groups I have seen have had meager meeting spaces, or no permanent place at all. While I think it’s a nice extra to have a place that students “own,” elaborate set-ups can sometimes (not always) either take away from the real purpose of gathering, or send the wrong message about stewardship of our resources.
As always, thanks for chiming in, and being part of our community.
I’d also add: “Youth Ministry is NOT just about the youth… it’s about the parents/families too!” I’ve been really burdened by this lately to the point that I sought to have my title and job description changed to reflect the point that youth ministry sells itself short when it isn’t seeking to intentionally partner with parents who “get it,” equip parents who want to “get it,” and support the teenagers whose parents simply don’t care. However you put it, if you only focus on youth in youth ministry then you’re suffering from nearsighted youth ministry.
Love the thoughts. I’d also like to add that youth ministry is “equipping God’s people for works of service.” Yes this is part of discipleship, but specifically God calls us as ministers to equip them to be the best version God has intended them to be. Helping them (students, parents, sponsors, volunteers, etc). discover, use, and grow in their God given talents is a crucial part in youth ministry. If we are the only ones doing ministry, we’ve failed. Thanks Andy!!
[...] Also, a fellow Andy, Andy Blanks wrote on his what his thoughts were. (Want to read his thoughts? Head on over there…) [...]