Right now, though, I think it’s even more pertinent. The crisis narrative in youth ministry got old quickly. It’s time to start imagining what comes next: to picture that brave new world and begin ushering it in. Things might be hard right now, but we have to live out the belief that they’ll get better.
If we take it as a given that whatever comes next will place Jesus at the centre (as I suggested in my column two months ago), the very next thing to think about is our workforce. After all, the last few years have seen a fairly devastating number of youth ministers moving on from the specialism, while at a national parachurch level, a changing of the guard has seen some significant senior figures leave day-to-day youth ministry. We’re almost certainly operating with the lowest number of active youth work specialists since the revolution of the early 1990s. On the other side of the equation, however, the need hasn’t decreased; in fact, it’s become greater. So the Church needs to replace its depleted youth work department, and quickly.
If this sounds suspiciously like doom and gloom again, then fear not. This is actually a great moment of opportunity for youth work. John Allan’s recent contribution to this magazine’s blog was absolutely correct in identifying the need to re-embrace a vision for volunteer-led youth ministry, where churches once again recruit – and crucially, train – dedicated, passionate extra-timers who’ll either support a paid worker or, in many areas, take on the youth work themselves. This is absolutely part of the solution, and will take a little more than just a plea from the front of a church to enact. If we can find them, however, a new wave of volunteer youth workers could bring incredible new life and energy into the youth ministry community.
We need a new generation of young youth work volunteers
I think there’s another important element, though, and while it’s certainly not new, it does require some effort on our part to make happen. Looking backwards again, there was a time when the emerging leaders in any youth group were fast-tracked toward youth leadership themselves. A youth leader would naturally identify those in the group who were ready for leadership responsibility, and begin to envision them to join the glorious and poorly paid ranks of those called to serve their generation. In more recent years, we’ve seen a diversification in our message to those young leaders, where we encourage them from a young age to explore how their leadership gifts could be used in politics, media, business and more. While that’s not a bad thing, it has taken the focus away from seeing our brightest potential leaders become the next generation of youth workers.
I believe that each of us should be intentional about identifying and developing at least one young leader, who we believe might carry the gifts and character to be a great servant to youth ministry. To use a well-worn cliché, each of us should have a Timothy: a ‘true son [or daughter] in the faith’ as 1 Timothy 1:2 puts it, who we can mentor in serving other young people. And just like Paul’s relationship with Timothy, we must allow that dynamic to mature into partnership. In Romans 16:21, Paul calls Timothy ‘my fellow worker’, in demonstration of the fact that he doesn’t lord his seniority over his apprentice. This approach could release a serious surge of new blood into youth work in the UK
More volunteers and more young leaders could both be great for youth ministry, but I wonder if what we should really be aiming for is a combination of the two. We’re great at mentoring young leaders for important and significant jobs in the wider world, and I don’t think we should stop doing so. What we haven’t perhaps encultured in them is a commitment to volunteering alongside those jobs. It’s hugely countercultural in a timepoor world, but what we really need is a new generation of young youth work volunteers who’ll learn the ropes properly, then give sacrificially of their time to young people, even while holding down a job. It’s a big ask, but of course, that rarely daunts young people.
More volunteers, more young leaders, more young volunteers infused with youth ministry DNA. It’s a vision for the youth work workforce that seems a long way from where we stand today. The way to get there? Start living, as Dennis Lee might encourage us, as if we’re already on the journey.
