Youth Ministry Has an Image Problem

on May 25th, 2008

Youth ministry has an image problem. We are too often seen as babysitting entertainers of the church. Here’s a few random thoughts on ways to beat it – I’d love to read your thoughts in the comments, too!

Be more than entertainment
I’m all for an interactive service. I practically demand an element of humor in nearly every weekend. But at the end of the day, there has to be substance to your flash. If you spend every moment working on the programming and not on the spiritual direction you want to push students, your approach must be rethought. More than ever a youth ministry needs to be engaging, but primarily must be a call to action and to live the adventure of God’s way.

Be more than babysitting
If you treat parents like you are babysitting their kids, expect them to treat you the same way. If parents drop off their students to you and walk away completely unengaged, you are babysitting them with a Bible study. If you communicate with them, if you give them tools and resources, if you partner with them – well, that’s a whole different ballgame.

Be more than talk
Let your students go. Set them free to do the work of the ministry. Find what adults are doing and see if a student could do it. Look for ways to get students involved today in your service. If they learn to soak up challenges but then never have an opportunity to meet one, they are set up to fail. We say they are the future of the church (some even say they are the “now” of the church), but are we giving over the reins to them today to live out what they are being taught?

JG

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Matt Funk at 6:53am May 27

I would add that sometimes we have to be more than “slave pimps.” Way too often, older church members see the youth ministry as a free labor service. Eventually, your kids will run when they see you coming because they know that you are going to ask them to pick up trash around the church, beg them to suffer through Bible school crafts, or force them into serving food at the annual age 75 and over dinner. It’s not fair to them, and it’s not fair to you. Find church connectedness in more ways than just pimping slaves.