One of my good friends and co-workers announced that he is leaving his job the other day.
The good news is that it was no big deal to the volunteers who he announced it to! Though, it probably would have been good for the ol’ ego for there to be weeping and gnashing of teeth, the truth is, this response is an indicator that he did a great job!
One of my biggest pet peeves in youth ministry is to see a young leader get a promotion and then watch that young leader’s program die.
It has nothing to do with the fact that I think the leader shouldn’t have taken the promotion. It’s not that I think the only commitment you should ever have is to youth. Let’s face it.

Number one…this is tough work and there are few who can do it for years at a time.

Secondly….Youth Pastors are often thought of as the minor leagues for “The Big Show.” This is the way the system has developed. Student pastors are the future leadership of the church. But this is a topic for another time.
So…back to my issue. Why do we see this pattern across the country? A new person coming in, a youth group growing, that person leaving, and the youth group dying…waiting for the next big personality? Come to think of it…why is that the pattern we see in the church in general?
I think the problem is us!
We can be pretty cool. We are relational, so people are attracted to us. We have vision, so people are inspired by us. We are creative and do a bunch of interesting and new stuff, so people like to come see what we do. People dig us. And therein lies the problem…right there in front of our eyes. It’s us.

In my world at North Point Xtreme, our anchor is the small group leader. The only thing consistent every week is the same small group leader with the same group of kids. When my friend, with an identical program, announced he was leaving today, it was not a big deal. When I leave, the show will go on the same way. (I’m not saying it will be easy on my ego.)

Great speakers (the hooks) come inside our student ministry and then go on to do great things on bigger stages. Great bands (also hooks) minister to our kids, are developed, and head on to “Big Church.” They go to the “Show!” I love it when that happens…and the ministry keeps growing and doesn’t miss a beat!

So…I hope you are incredibly talented, passionate, and an amazing vision caster…but the truth is, You may be a great hook…but…it’s not about you…it can’t be about you.

Is your ministry built around a hook or an anchor? What are you doing to make sure your ministry outlives you?

Tom Shefchunas is the Multi-Campus Director of Middle School @ North Point Community Church. Hit up his blog in your Google Reader for sure!