Youth workers need to have a holistic view of ministry—stay too focused on today and it can be hard to remember where you were headed. But if you’re always looking ahead, you risk not handling today well. Here are a few thoughts that may help you tackle today AND tomorrow effectively.
Right In Front Of You:
This Week
What needs to be accomplished right away this week? Go practical instead of tactical; make a “to do list” or use an app to help guide your time and projects with due dates this week. The “This Week” stuff is the nitty-gritty tasks you simply must accomplish. Put your head down, and work through the list you made at the beginning of your week.
The Small Picture:
The Next Season Ahead
– This is where you move from the day-to-day tasks and make sure you’re tracking on the big-picture details of what’s next. This is making sure the discipleship retreat camp deposit is in the mail, but not necessarily programming the event itself. This is making sure you have a speaker lined up, but not necessarily knowing the menu that’s planned. [Side note: ALWAYS know what is on the menu. Words I (Josh) live by!]
The Big Picture:
This Coming Year
– Occasionally, throughout the year, find some time to make sure the big-picture vision is in place. Check the pulse of your leaders; look back on goals you set from the year before; work through your vision statements and learnings from a recent book or seminar. Determine what’s broken and what’s doing well, lay out strategies to address the weak points in your discipleship process. This is a mix of practical (calendar planning) and tactical (is what we have planned truly helping us to accomplish our vision?).
The Lifetime Achievement:
Your Legacy
– This is the biggest picture of all: what you will leave with your church when you leave, or the legacy you leave behind when God decides your time here is done. Don’t text and drive or it may be sooner rather than later. Too many youth workers live in the day-to-day world and never take a step back every few years and really wrestle with your calling again and see what God may be up to.
Consider planning your week with an appropriate amount of time given to each of these categories. Focus on the tasks of the week, be familiar with the season ahead, make sure you know where you are headed and every once in a while, and wrestle with your legacy for good measure, too.
This post was written by Josh Griffin and Kurt Johnston and originally appeared as part of Simply Youth Ministry Today free newsletter. Subscribe to SYM Today right here.
Josh Griffin has been in youth ministry for 16+ years in a small church and a big church. He currently serves as the High School Pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA. [
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Geoff Stewart serves the Jr / Sr High School Pastor at Peace Portal Alliance Church in Surrey B.C.
Chris Wesley serves as the Director of Student Ministry at Church of the Nativity in Timonium, Maryland.
Colton Harker serves with Josh at Saddleback Church. He is currently in his second year in youth ministry.
