Given the fact that we’re all doing youth work in a constantly changing culture, with teenagers whose needs are constantly changing and whose very lives are marked by constant change, we’d be idiots to just keep doing the same thing in the same way.
Experimentation and noble failure are the spark plugs of great youth ministry (well, I suppose Jesus is the spark plug but you get the picture). Coasting, gliding and staying the same are resounding gongs on the death bell.
So with that in mind, I’d like to suggest seven sins of ministry re-invention. They are all phrased as assumptions, because our assumptions provide mental maps that lead to action (good or misguided) or inaction. Some of these assumptions keep us from change, but I’m assuming that you’ll get the gist of those quickly. So I’m focusing more on assumptive sins that masquerade as progress. Here we go!
1. ASSUMING EVERYTHING IS FINE AS IT IS
In a column on the importance of change, this one sort of goes without saying. But here’s the reason I list it: most of us know we need to consider change when things aren’t going well, but most youth workers I workwith have a working paradigm that says the goal is to reach stability. Here’s the problem: stability means you’ve already begun the inclination toward decline (of heath, vibrancy, impact – and sometimes attendance). Great leaders must be courageous and initiate change prior to arrival at stability. This is counter-intuitive, as it means instigating change when things are seemingly the best they’ve ever been.
2. ASSUMING YOUTH CULTURE IS WHAT IT ALWAYS WAS
Bob Dylan famously sang, ‘The times, they are a-changing.’ And wow, have the times ever changed since Bob sang that! Youth work might focus on timeless and unchanging truths (like the consistency of God’s unswerving love) but ministry is always set in a context, and great ministry is responsive to that context.
Sure, some aspects of youth culture or the experience of teenagers isn’t all that different. But there is no denying that all sorts of variables, values, pressures and cultural norms have shifted. Being a teenager in 2015 is simultaneously the same as it ever was and new every morning.
3. ASSUMING YOU HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS TO WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE
If you’re a leader, you have a responsibility to instigate, promote, provoke and explore change. But change that you envision and activate completely on your own will never be as good as change you collaboratively discern with others. I’m sure you’re smart and super-spiritual, but you’re not that smart and super-spiritual. You need sounding boards, anchors, fire-starters, push-backers and people who say, ‘Yes, and…’.
4. ASSUMING CHANGE SHOULD BE A DEMOCRATIC PROCESS
I’m a fan of democracy when it comes to government. But when leading change in a youth ministry, democracy can quickly lower the bar: achieving agreement over excellence. Dissent can be healthy. And while ideas birthed and decisions made in community will always be stronger than those without any input, choosing your change collaborators is essential. Choose wisely, young grasshopper: collaborate with creative and hopeful people who don’t have a personal agenda, but don’t pass around a ballot.
5. ASSUMING EVERYONE WILL EASILY GET ON BOARD WITH CHANGE
It’s tough not to have the wind taken out of your sails when you’re excited about some intentional and thoughtful change, only to be met with naysayers and criticism and whining. Remember: people tend to resist change. This is almost always due to fear that they’ll lose something they value — something the current reality or programme is providing for them. Expect opposition, not so you can be armed to blow people away, but so that you can adopt a curious perspective about what people need to move past their fears.
6. ASSUMING MORE IS BETTER
Adding stuff on — more programmes — is not the pathway to vibrancy in your ministry. If you’re going to add something, you have to be ready to cut something also.
7. ASSUMING TEENAGERS REALLY DIG COOL PROGRAMMES AND NIFTY YOUTH FACILITIES
What teenagers really want is a safe and encouraging place to belong. They want to be wanted. You might assume that a super-cool youth room or mind-blowing entertainment will deliver, but these are not the droids you’re looking for.
Step into change, with courage (which comes from God). But do so with wisdom (which comes from the Holy Spirit).
