What could I have done better? I could have listed to what my pastors were really saying instead of assuming a defensive posture. I was always trying to defend myself and the youth ministry instead of hearing what was actually being said. Frankly, they were insecure men, like me, who just wanted to build the church.
This one I understood. Loyalty is a character trait I value very highly from people in my circles so I try to emulate loyalty, almost to a fault in my own life. In several ministries I was given a book called Armor Bearers , it was a book about how to be the armor bearer to your pastors. This is a great book for understanding our role in the team dynamics.
There are battles our pastor will face that we are shielded from and there will be times we need to come along side them with encouragement and resolve. I do not follow leadership blindly, but there are times where, if we like our jobs, we have to follow our pastors to places we do not understand, are uncomfortable and sometimes against our own best judgement.
See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! Middle school. High school. Emerging adults? Pre-middle school? Student leaders? Small groups? Just staying on top of the sheer number of groups is a constant juggling act. Even if you have a team of people helping you stay on top of things, you might feel like you need a degree in Chaos Management to be a youth pastor.
For most teenagers, procrastination is the norm. But if you can pull it off, you can pass on your secrets to kids as they struggle through major life transitions. You can even invite your student leaders to be part of the process.
If you struggle to stay organized, try experimenting with a variety of methods. Write everything down use sticky notes if you have to. Set yourself reminders with the calendar in your phone. This is a no-brainer. Not only is it a biblical quality all Christians should strive for Titus —8, Proverbs , 2 Corinthians , but integrity is one of the main things parents and church staff expect to see in a youth pastor.
In fact, to me, one of the clearest signs of integrity is how someone handles failure. Do they own up to their mistakes, or excuse them? If integrity is something you struggle with, accountability can be a powerful tool to help you develop it. Find a mentor or godly friend you can be honest and vulnerable with. Be transparent about your flaws and mistakes when appropriate. Not everyone has to like you. You have to interact with parents, kids, church staff, members of the community, maybe even teachers or school staff.
As you try to develop relationships with kids, every conversation has the potential to open or close doors for your ministry.
For many teens, one awkward conversation can make or break a relationship. As you prayerfully approach your ministry, write down the names of people you expect to see again. Take notes from your conversations so you can build on them later. Pray for them by name. Regardless of how comfortable you are in front of people, churches will expect you to share the gospel with confidence. And for youth pastors, confidence is vital to break through the inevitable awkwardness of starting meaningful conversations with kids.
Even when 10 voices start yelling out questions at once, youth pastors must know how to be patient, calm down the group and still answer all the questions.
By showcasing patience, kids and teens respect the youth pastor more, making them more effective at their job. Having an engaging teaching style is vital to grabbing and keeping the attention of kids and teens. As said before, the youth in youth ministry spend hours in classrooms all week. Instead, an engaging talk about current cultural events, how it affects them and what the Bible says about it all works better.
A great youth pastor constantly learns new techniques for engaging kids. Your email address will not be published. Incredible People Skills Having incredible people skills goes hand in hand with being any type of effective pastor.
Intimate Bible Knowledge This one should be a given. So as overly simple as this sounds — treat them like it. How to start a youth ministry from scratch. Youth Ministry - Creating Your Vision. This is absolutely foundational. We all have our problems During my time as a youth leader, I realised kids had the exact same problems adults did drugs, porn, cutting, bitterness, depression and all kinds of other things.
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