Youth Ministry Management Tools 2.0: Everything You Need to Successfully Manage Your Ministry

INTRODUCTION

A vision without a task is but a dream,

A task without a vision is drudgery

A vision with a task is the hope of the world.

Church Window in Sussex England, c. 1730

Many of us in youth ministry share a vision: Tribes of adolescents encountering God, families healed, churches reenergized, communities rolling up their sleeves and serving each other. But since we’re usually mired in a bog of details surrounding those dreams, our vision can get cloudy—or slowly dissipate altogether.

One of our goals in writing this book was to help youth workers to get out of the bog and back on track with their vision. Those who are merely ankle deep in the muck can discover here fresh ideas and variations on old practices. Those who sense they’re sinking fast can find a lifeline in Youth Ministry Management Tools 2.0. This book will help youth workers do more than merely survive the tasks of ministry—it will show you how crucial those tasks are for accomplishing your vision.

Our vision as developers is to help you succeed in all facets of youth ministry management. Our task as authors was to write a book to facilitate that success. We hope God will use our vision and our task to impact adolescents and their families for the kingdom through your work and your skills.

Interact with this book. Read the narrative, underline it, dog-ear it, scan it, slap sticky notes on it. Play with the forms. Get your team to wrestle with the case studies. Ask, How can I use this stuff? How can it help our ministry run better and more smoothly? What do I need to do because of what I’m reading? Gobble it all up or nibble at it a piece at a time.

• Rookie youth workers will find ideas in Youth Ministry Management Tools 2.0 for handling tasks that are basic to long-term youth ministry. There are case studies to get you thinking, forms you can adapt and tweak, and checklists to help you anticipate and track details of ministry.

• Youth workers who are less structured (read: disorganization is my middle name) will find systems, methods, and forms that are easily adaptable to your needs. No more developing procedures from scratch.

• Veteran youth workers can use this book as a tool to train interns or key volunteers, as a resource manual to dip into periodically, and a storehouse to supplement (perhaps even re-approach) your already effective ministry practices.

Having an organized ministry is important and will actually help broaden your reach and impact. But at the end of the day this is all about the teenagers God has entrusted to you. We don’t think for a moment that organizing is the goal. Loving and caring for teens is the goal.

CAVEATS AND WARNINGS

We’ve done our best to make sure everything is accurate, but this book is not to be taken as legal counsel. Run critical decisions, policies, and forms by your church or organization’s lawyer and insurance company.

Throughout the book we reference resources and products. These are not endorsements but rather tools and sites we’ve found helpful. We’re sure we’ve missed a number of great ideas and resources. Let us know what they are and we’ll include them in future editions.

HAVING TROUBLE WITH A WEB ADDRESS?

Internet addresses listed in this book were current at the time of publication—but there’s no way we can guarantee these addresses are current as you read these words. But we’ll do our best to keep them updated at ministrymanagement.com. If you have trouble with an URL and the correction isn’t posted on the previously mentioned Web site, please contact us via email (ymmt.ginny@gmail.com) to let us know if you’ve found the correct or new URL—or if the URL is no longer operational.

PART 1

STRATEGIC FOUNDATIONS OF YOUTH MINISTRY

1 BUILDING A FOUNDATION

CHAPTER OVERVIEW

• The Four Components of Youth Ministry

• The Three Touchstones of Leadership

One of the very first things we learn about God is God is both creative and administrative. In the beginning of Genesis, God creates the heavens and the earth. God then goes on to separate darkness and light, water, and ground, and categorizes the animals. A calendar of seven days is set, including a day of rest. From the get-go, we see a mix of creativity and organization. We also see God giving pastoral care in interactions with Adam about his loneliness. Early on God institutes policies (e.g., don’t eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden) not for the sake of policy but for the protection of people and the pursuit of God’s purposes.

From the beginning we see that God desires us to be relational, creative, organized, and purposeful. God had a plan and set the desired course for creation. Yet we youth workers spend a lot of time making decisions that we hope are moving us forward on our desired course.

If you ask a group of people in a windowless room to close their eyes and spin around and then point north, when they open their eyes, they will be pointing in every direction. Some will be pointing in the right direction; others, not so much. This is a fairly accurate representation of how some youth workers lead: they’re spinning around, trying to move in a direction they believe to be north, but often they’re without tools to navigate. The result is that they may or may not make it to their destination. By placing one foot in front of the other with no sense of direction, it’s possible to get miles off course. A philosophy of ministry and a philosophy of leadership provide those inner compasses to direct a leader and his or her followers to true north.

DEVELOPING A PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY

The most effective youth workers understand why they do what they do. And they can articulate it to others. What is your philosophy of youth ministry? is the one interview question that often stumps those who haven’t done the hard work of formulating their philosophies of ministry and leadership.

There’s no formula for developing a ministry philosophy, but there are some areas to consider. Based loosely on the work of educational philosopher William Frankena, the following components can help you clarify what you believe about ministry and how it should be lived out. Understand that there are whole seminary courses about philosophy of youth ministry. This is just a primer to get you started:

HAVING A PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY is necessary not only when you’re the leader but also when you’re interviewing for a position. One mistake some new youth pastors make is they take the first position they’re offered. During the interview stage, confirm that your philosophy matches the church’s. This will save you much heartache (and headaches).

COMPONENT #1—PRIMARY PURPOSE

If you think of a philosophy of ministry in terms of a building, this is the foundation upon which everything else is built. When the storms of ministry blow away everything else, this is the concrete slab. It’s your ideals, your values, your theology, your beliefs about God and ministry. It answers the questions about why you’re here and why you’re doing what you’re doing—which is helpful when it’s 3 a.m. at the lock-in and the second kid just threw up.

How do you discover the primary purpose? Think about what makes youth ministries different from other organizations that help adolescents, such as the Scouts or the YMCA. Ask yourself, why is youth ministry important to the church or the local community? Or, why do you want to invest in youth ministry at this point in your life? As you formulate ideas to address these questions, keep asking the question Why? until you hit the core of your beliefs. For example, We believe that God wants to rescue adolescents. Play the curious toddler and repeatedly ask, Why? Why do you believe God wants to save adolescents? From what? To what? Why do you think it’s necessary that they’re saved?

Or We believe adolescents are the church of today and tomorrow. Why do you believe the church is critical? Why is it important that adolescents are part of it either now or in the future? What does this say about your view of God? Of the church? What do you base that view upon?

We tend to rush to sayings and Bible verses without putting any thought into our choices. What we end up with is a slogan masquerading as theology. Keep pushing into this component until you’re satisfied you’re at the foundation of what you believe.

COMPONENT #2—PERCEPTIONS OF PEOPLE

Each of us comes with a perception of adolescents, their families, the church community, and other leaders. These perceptions are what make up component #2. Our perceptions are often formed by our experiences and our theology, both current and past. For example, if we rebelled as adolescents, if we’re drawn to news stories dealing with the dark side of teenage behavior, or if we were raised in churches that strongly emphasized human transgressions and depravity, we may tend to see students as having a sinful nature that’s fully intact. On the other side of the spectrum, if we had relatively chaos-free teenage years with families who thought we could do no wrong, if we focus on how teenagers are changing the world for the better, or if we were raised in churches where the term sin was rarely spoken but grace was used habitually, we may view students as essentially good at their cores.

Our beliefs about components #2 and #1 are critical in the development of a ministry philosophy. If, as we note earlier, component #1 in a ministry philosophy is the foundation, then component #2 makes up the structural beams. The rest of a ministry philosophy is built on these two components. That’s why it is so important to wrestle with what we think and believe about our primary purposes and what our perceptions are about people. It’s easy to leave these unexamined and just replicate what we’ve experienced or heard about, but we end up developing ministries built on sand rather than bedrock.

The development of component #2 requires that you grapple with the question, What do I believe about adolescents as well as their surrounding networks? The way you answer that question will deeply impact your ministry. If you believe people are essentially good, then you’re likely to have a ministry with few, if any, rules and guidelines. Taken to an extreme, there can be an immature naiveté blind toward potentially troubling behaviors. This leader may believe that students innately know on a retreat when it’s time to call it a night and will sleep in their own beds, so having a curfew is unnecessary and distrustful. Or when interviewing volunteers, this leader sees background checks as a waste of time and potentially divisive in the church, so why bother? This leader doesn’t believe anyone would willingly seek to harm an adolescent.

On the other side of the spectrum: If you believe people are basically sinful, then you’re likely to lead ministry marked by many rules and lots of chaperones who have been closely vetted, with strict safety measures at events. (One youth pastor hired a security guard to watch the church during a lock-in, both for those who might come in and those who might sneak out.)

Veteran youth pastors realize that the reality of component #2 is somewhere in the middle, where adolescents are made in God’s image (good) and yet have fallen away from the original design (evil). They are creation, but creation in need of redemption. These youth pastors do the hard work of examining their beliefs and studying theology along with adolescent development, science, and pop culture. They investigate adolescent trends and talk with parents, teachers, and community leaders. Seasoned youth workers live in the tension between being wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Matthew 10:16), and their philosophy reflects it.

COMPONENT #3—FOCUS

This component doesn’t mean a random emphasis based on the latest youth ministry blog or conference. Rather, the focus of a youth ministry flows out of the primary purpose (#1) as well as the perceptions of people (#2). For example, if a youth pastor believes God is all-powerful and loving and desires a relationship with God’s creation (#1), and believes adolescents are made in God’s image and yet have fallen away from the original design (#2), then perhaps the focus of the ministry is to be a safe and loving place to ask dangerous questions, build strong relationships, and consider a life dedicated to following God.

One way to help develop #3 is to ask, What do we want the ministry to be known for? For example, if the ministry targets adolescents who have no home and experience poverty and violence, you may want to be known as a ministry that helps adolescents develop strong, holistic, internal and external support systems and will advocate for them when they cannot advocate for themselves. Still stuck? Suppose the local news is profiling your ministry: What would they concentrate on? Or if you had to write a summary of the ministry in 140 characters, what would it say?

Another example: Say the ministry is predominantly made up of homeschooled kids. If the perception (component #2) is that these students study hard all day in relative solitude, the ministry may decide to focus on building a community marked by play and recreation. But if the perception is that adolescents are at a prime age to learn the deep things of God, the ministry may focus on being a mini-seminary.

Having a ministry that’s focused allows you to know what opportunities to say yes to and what to say no to. If the ministry is focused on helping students succeed spiritually and academically, it means you say no to starting up a skate park but yes to a donation of new computers. Not that a skate park is bad. In fact, if you start getting skaters coming to the ministry, it might mean partnering with a ministry in town that hosts a skate park in its parking lot. Being focused requires that you network with other ministries and resources in order to truly be representative of the body of Christ. If you look at Jesus’ ministry, he knew his purpose, he knew the people he was called to reach, and so his ministry was laser focused. His focus allowed him to fulfill his call.

COMPONENT #4—PRACTICES

Once you know what your focus is, you can develop your practices. Practices are the tangible programs, events, habits, and customs of the youth ministry. Good practices are grounded on good beliefs. For example, you have a greeter team not because the ministry’s had one for five years, but because the volunteer team wants to make sure that every kid who walks through the door feels welcome. They realize that if students feel welcomed, they may be more open to hearing from God.

As the leader of the ministry, you should be able to explain how a mission trip, service project, drama team, tutoring ministry, or Bible study are in line with the focus of the youth ministry (#3). You should be able to articulate how these programs or events address the needs of the students (#2) and how they are connected to your primary purpose (#1). If you can’t make a clear argument, then you have to question if this practice is right for this ministry at this time.

A rookie mistake in youth ministry is starting with practices without working on the first three components. Inexperienced youth pastors take ideas and events that they’ve seen in other ministries and transfer them into their context without evaluating if that’s the right decision. Too often, youth pastors implement what they’ve experienced or what they’ve picked up at the latest youth ministry conference. But they fail at knowing why they’re doing what they’re doing. So when a parent pushes back about the high cost of a mission trip, the youth pastor weakly defends his or her actions with, But we’ve always done one, or worse, But other groups do them and see life change. A stronger response comes from knowing how a mission trip fits into the ministry’s primary purpose (#1) and this particular audience (#2) and being able to explain it clearly to the parent.

Here are just a few examples of practices and when it might be helpful to use them in ministry. These aren’t clear-cut categories, but general suggestions to get you thinking.

As was said at the beginning of this section, there is no formula for a philosophy of youth ministry. Your philosophy will change and evolve as both you and the ministry learn and grow. By grappling with these four components, you should be on your way to having a good explanation of why the ministry does what it does and laying a strong foundation on which to build a ministry.

DEVELOPING A PHILOSOPHY OF LEADERSHIP

A leadership philosophy is a combination of your values, beliefs, and principles that direct your decisions and actions as you lead others. We all have a philosophy of leadership, whether we can articulate it or not. It shows up in how we treat those around us, especially how we treat those who have little or no power. Jesus gets at this in Matthew 19:14 when he rebukes the disciples with this comment, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

FISHBOWLS ARE A DISCUSSION TECHNIQUE where one group sits in the middle talking about a topic, book, or perspective. Another group sits in a surrounding circle and observes. There’s a designated time for feedback from the observer group. They then switch places. This technique is helpful when examining an issue from multiple perspectives or in working through conflict.

If you want to know someone’s philosophy of leadership, watch their actions and listen to their words, as well as their silence. Some leaders reveal a philosophy of leadership marked by strength and power, while others portray a value of collaboration and community. And still others embody a laid-back, avoid-conflict-at-all-costs kind of leadership philosophy. As with the ministry philosophy, it’s crucial that youth workers do the hard work of explaining what their approach is to leadership.

One way to formulate a leadership philosophy is to consider three touchstones: knowing, being, and doing. What does a leader need to know? Who does a leader need to be? And what does a leader need to do?

TOUCHSTONE #1—KNOWING

The first touchstone, knowing, requires that a leader have a sufficient knowledge base from which to make decisions. A youth leader doesn’t need to be an expert in all areas of ministry, but he or she does need to have a curious mind about themes such as adolescent development, Jesus’ style of leadership (and others in the Bible), team dynamics, change management, character qualities of a godly leader, decision making strategies, conflict resolution, family systems, and more. These topics, and others, play a role in guiding leaders as they think about ministry. You don’t need a degree in youth ministry to be a youth pastor (though it helps), but you do need a strong, reliable knowledge base to guide your decisions. A small group with senior girls and 6th-grade boys probably won’t work. Do you know why? And a volunteer team won’t stay around if you always tell them what to do but never ask their opinion. Do you know why? The ministry vision changes every six months and attendance keeps dropping. Do you know why? A strong leader is inquisitive and constantly learning.

What do you think a youth leader must know to be effective?

TOUCHSTONE #2—BEING

Knowledge alone provides a skewed compass. History is replete with leaders who had knowledge without character; some who carried out horrendous acts in the name of God and were able to motivate others to join them. So along with knowledge, there must be a focus on being. In the Name of Jesus author Henri Nouwen writes: Immediately after Peter has been commissioned to be a leader of his sheep, Jesus confronts him with the hard truth that the servant-leader is the leader who is being led to unknown, undesirable, and painful places. The way of the Christian leader is not the way of upward mobility in which our world has invested so much, but the way of downward mobility ending on the cross. (Nouwen, 81)

In order to succeed as a youth ministry leader, one must seek to embody certain core values and character qualities, such as a respect for humanity and creation, a deep love for adolescents and their families, a loyalty to God and God’s call, integrity reflected in a connection between knowledge and behavior, or courage to live out the vision and call of God. (In the next chapter, we’ll explore this further.)

What character qualities do you believe youth workers must possess?

TOUCHSTONE #3—DOING

It’s one thing to know what to do and to be a person of character, but a true leader must actually do the work of leading. James 2:18 states it this way: But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. This doing flows out of one’s knowledge and character. Leaders get themselves into trouble when they preach one thing and actions take a different direction. To be a leader marked by integrity, your actions need to be aligned with your brain and your soul.

Think through what a youth pastor needs to do in your context in order to be an effective leader. Here are just a few leadership behavior commitments:

• I will always treat others with honor, no matter how much or how little power they have.

• I will seek to resolve conflict as soon and as directly as possible.

• I will forgive, and pursue forgiveness, quickly.

• I will regularly encourage team members and do whatever I can to help them succeed in ministry.

• I will keep my commitments, even when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient.

• I will strive to have clear and consistent communication with all those reached by our ministry.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

• This Way to Youth Ministry: An Introduction to the Adventure by Duffy Robbins, YS/Zondervan

• Teaching for Reconciliation: Revised Edition by Ron Habermas, Wipf & Stock Publishing

• In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership by Henri J. Nouwen, Crossroad/Faith & Formation

• Exploring Leadership: For College Students Who Want to Make a Difference by Susan R. Komives, et al. Jossey-Bass Publishing, 2nd edition (2006). (Note: This is not a ministry book.)

FORMS

• Philosophy of Youth Ministry

• Philosophy of Leadership

What are the practices or behaviors a leader in youth ministry needs to embody?

In working through your philosophy of leadership, keep going back to these three touchstones and reflect on the key questions for each one:

#1—What do you think a youth leader needs to know to be effective?

#2—What character qualities do you believe are essential for a youth ministry leader to possess?

#3—What are the practices or behaviors a leader in youth ministry needs to embody?

Your responses to these questions form your philosophy of leadership. For an additional exercise, read through the Gospels and examine how Jesus utilized the touchstones in his leadership.

A strong leader must possess a foundation of knowledge and seek to embody core character qualities, principles, and values—and then act accordingly.

2 STRATEGIC PLANNING

CHAPTER OVERVIEW

• The Nine Pieces You Need to Develop a Strategic Plan

When firefighters arrive at a burning building, they first assess the situation before advancing. It’s potentially dangerous to make decisions before seeing the fire and understanding what’s going on. They are asking questions such as: Are there lives at risk that can be saved? What is the possible risk to our team? If they decide action is needed, they then ask: Where’s the best place to enter? What might be the source of the fire? What resources can we access right now? What do we still need? Where will we place the firefighters, and will we have a way out? The lead firefighter is constantly assessing the risk and monitoring the team’s progress toward its goals.

In essence, a strategic plan.

DEVELOPING A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR YOUR YOUTH MINISTRY

In youth ministry, we have a lot coming at us, and it’s dangerous to walk too far without a plan. Jesus had a strategic plan. We see evidence of that in Luke 10: 1-11, 17-20, Luke 18:31-33, Matthew 28:16-20, and in many other passages. He was clear about his vision, values, and mission—and he communicated it to his followers.

Too many youth workers have a bag full of great tricks that last about three to six months, and after they go through them, they don’t know where to go or what to do. A good strategic plan will help youth workers navigate beyond these first few months and lay foundations for years to come.

Before you start the strategic planning process, ask yourself if you can objectively enter into the process and if you have the capacity to do so. If not, find someone who can honestly and fairly critique the ministry and lead the process. This is one of those times when it’s worth seeking assistance from the beginning.

The following is a flexible guide for creating a strategic plan, which uses pieces rather than steps. Think of putting together a mosaic rather than working a linear progression. Some people prefer starting with core values while others start with the mission or with a SWOT analysis (i.e., Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats). You need to figure out what works for you in your context.

PIECE #1: ASSESS THE INTERNAL CULTURE

As a leader you need to become very familiar with the mission, vision, and values of your church or organization. The mission and vision of the ministry you’re leading should always flow with the larger ethos of the church, not against it. Read through the last several annual reports. Examine the budgets—they often tell you what a church really values. Also, study any congregational surveys. Talk with people who have been there for a long time and are conversant on the history of the church and/or youth ministry. Find out who the heroes and the villains were. Discover the key moments in the ministry’s backstory; when did they shine brightest and what brought about the difficult times? Meet with students and families who’ve left the ministry and listen to their stories.

PIECE #2: ASSESS THE EXTERNAL CULTURE

One size does not fit all when it comes to a ministry plan. It’s tempting to take the latest trend in youth ministry and slap it upon your current context. The problem is that such a tactic usually has a shelf life of about six months to a year. Just as the apostle Paul changed his ministry approach depending on the context (Acts 17:16-34), it’s vital that you create a strategic plan based on your context.

WHY IS A STRATEGIC PLAN IMPORTANT?

A conversation between Alice and the Cheshire Cat in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland reminds us why:

Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?

That depends a good deal on where you want to get to, said the Cat.

I don’t much care where— said Alice.

Then it doesn’t matter which way you go, said the Cat.

—so long as I get SOMEWHERE, Alice added as an explanation.

Oh, you’re sure to do that, said the Cat, if you only walk long enough.

Get out a map and draw a line around the geographic area where your students live and investigate what’s in that odd-shaped circle. It’s important that you understand not only the ministry you’re called to, but also the community in which you serve. As you explore the community, spend time answering the following questions:

• What is our geographical location and how does it impact our ministry?

• Ministry in a rural setting is different from a suburban one, which is different from an urban one. For example, some rural youth ministries have to plan around harvesting schedules and hunting season. Urban ministries may have to consider more resource, scheduling, or transportation challenges. Suburban ministries may face challenges that are a blend of the other two. You need to take into consideration the resources and the challenges in your location. Does your location have lots of events and programs competing for your students’ attention, or is your ministry the only gig around for miles?

• What’s the population you’re serving?

• Are you in a community that’s graying, or is the majority under the age of 18?

• Is the population changing due to migration or work opportunities?

• What’s the median income of the community? Is that the same for your church? It might not be the same since some churches are commuter churches where people don’t live in the same area where they worship. Which factor do you need to account for when you plan?

• How many households are in your community? How many people are there per household? Are they primarily single-parent families, or are there two parents per household? This may impact when you schedule programs and what type of programs you plan.

• When it comes to education, how many schools are there? Is the community building or closing schools? The consequences of this are momentous for a youth ministry.