99 Thoughts for Smaller Churches Preview
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99 Thoughts for Smaller Church Youth Workers Doing More With Less Copyright © 2011 Stephanie Caro group.com simplyyouthministry.com All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher, except where noted in the text and in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, email Permissions at [email protected], or write Permissions, Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO 80539. Credits Author: Stephanie Caro Executive Developer: Nadim Najm Chief Creative Officer: Joani Schultz Copy Editor: Rob Cunningham Cover Art and Production: Natalie Johnson and Veronica Lucas Production Manager: DeAnne Lear Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the LIVE Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked The Message are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-7644-6606-9 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11
Printed in the United States of America.
dedication
This book is dedicated to a delightful group of youth ministry friends, the SYMC Inside Track Team. You bring me joy and laughter on a daily basis and inspire me to keep doing this youth ministry thing. You have captured a permanent place in my heart.
contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 The Big Advantage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Running With the Big Dogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 The Vortex of Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 It’s a Balancing Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 The Particulars on Parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 The Oddities of a Smaller Group . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Navigating Your Church’s Channels . . . . . . . . . 73 Doing More Ministry With Less Money . . . . . . . 83 A Few of My Favorite Things. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Four Things I Wish Someone . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Told Me Earlier
introduction
Hey, my youth ministry friends! If you’re reading this book, the intertwining of our lives has begun. If you’re serving in a smaller church youth ministry, the weaving continues. I’ve served in large and small youth ministries. Both are wonderful and both drive me nuts! One thing that remains constant: Students need the love of Jesus and Jesus-followers. That’s where we both come on to the scene. From my heart to yours, I really want this book to be a conversation between you and me. I’ve invited several smaller church youth workers to join the book’s conversation by adding their thoughts into each chapter. We’re all in this together with one goal, right? Sharing the love of God with students (and the adults who work with them) in our ministries. From the bottom of my heart, I L.O.V.E. how so many of us have connected through the Simply Youth Ministry blog, smallchurchyouthministry.com, Facebook® (friend me!), and Twitter®.
1
If you’re looking for deep, theological brainiac-ness, then go read something else. Youth workers in smaller churches are often volunteer or part-time/bi-vocational. We’re busy people who need to read what’s quick and practical. In the pages to follow, you’ll find 99 extended thoughts divided into 10 topic buckets we all may face while living out life with students. Each bucket of thoughts will focus through the lens of a smaller church setting. Sometimes the struggles aren’t different from what youth workers face in medium-sized or larger church youth ministries. But a lot of times, we face a special brand of monster. To borrow from God’s Word, here’s how I see our partnered journey as youth workers trying to hang on tight while praying to make a Jesus-impact: By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped (Ecclesiastes 4:12 The Message). See ya at the end of the book…unless you’d like to chat along the way on our blog. Grab some coffee and stop by smallchurchyouthministry.com.
Stephanie
2
the big advantage 1
I want to know every student’s name
Every summer, I spend several weeks back in “big youth group” world as an emcee for Group Workcamps. Oh the cacophony of noise! The sounds of more than 400 students living under one roof for a week is a special joy all its own. It’s not for wimps or the faint of heart. There is this constant noise like the hum of a plague of nighttime bugs. You learn a certain type of selective deafness—what to ignore and when to pay attention to a certain squeal that spells trouble. And if it becomes too quiet? Run for your flashlight and start searching the halls ’cuz there’s trouble in River City, my friend! I love it! I love mission trips, making new friends, the sense of God incarnate, spending time with youth, and the dumb late-night knock-knock jokes. But here’s what I hate about this annual experience: The week will go by and I’ll see a student that looks totally unfamiliar to me. With 400-plus campers, I learn 100 names at best. Although I still feel the
3
sense of God’s family, I mourn the missed opportunity of showing that student—and all the ones I don’t get to know well—I really do care about who they are. Aren’t we lucky to serve in smaller settings? We can learn each student’s name, favorite food, birthday, likes, dislikes, movie preference, and so on. So here’s your homework: Picture all the teenagers that come to your youth program. Can you name 10 particulars about each person? Work on that…aren’t we lucky? We get to do this!
2
It’s not like turning the Titanic around
Big boats require a lot of effort to turn around. They can’t do it easily and often need the help of many other small boats to get in and out of port. In their bigness, they can hold huge numbers of people, but if a midcourse correction is needed, a lot of folks have to sign off after a lot of communication. Not with a small boat. It’s just you, the water, and sails or an engine. Changing your mind or changing directions leaves a small wake. Though it’s still wise to let someone know you’ve modified your course, it’s a simpler, easier process. The same with your youth ministry. You can change course more quickly because you don’t have to jump through as many hoops. Don’t misunderstand me: I’m not advocating
4
skipping any proper approval process in your church’s administration. It’s just simpler and easier in a smaller setting. For example: You get word at the last minute that a student broke his leg. With a smaller group, you can spread the word to everyone that you’re taking your weekly youth group meeting on the road to deliver cheer to their injured peer—perhaps serenading him outside his window with a big candy gram. Being small gives your ministry agility and flexibility.
3
Even the little things make your students happy
Maybe I’m wrong, but in smaller churches and smaller youth ministries, I think teenagers are happier with whatever comes their way. I’ve served in big settings where it felt like demands were higher and there was less room for failure. Teenagers in smaller churches often excel at appreciating what the church does together, and they find ways to be satiated by enjoying one another’s company. I’m not saying it’s OK to give your students less than your very best. I’m saying that smaller groups of teenagers seem to be happier with each other—it doesn’t take the big woo-hoo that’s often required and expected in bigger youth ministries. One of the best nights my students and I ever had was when I taught them how to play the card game
5
Spoons at a Christmas week lock-in. You’d have thought it was the newest thing around, and we had so much fun! Maybe it’s all in the presentation. If it looks like you just threw things together for your students, it’ll come across that way and they’ll respond accordingly. But with a little thought, even a simple Spoons championship can feel like a meaningful, well-executed event. Not only did I teach them the game, but I also gave each student a deck of Santa cards and a set of spoons. They must have liked it—because they got in trouble for playing the game during church the next Sunday.
4
You can visit every single one of them!
One of the cardinal rules of “how to be even just a mediocre youth worker” is visiting students at their games, matches, concerts, plays, art shows, dance recitals, spelling bees, work-release programs, and so on. If you don’t make this a practice and priority, you probably should look for another ministry role because youth ministry isn’t your thing. Teenagers are craving to have you come watch them do what they do. No need to gush or make a huge deal of it. Your quiet presence watching them do their thing will be noticed. And they won’t forget it. It communicates that you care about them personally, and that’s way up there on a youth worker’s job description.
6
Since you don’t have a huge number of students to work into your schedule, you have the opportunity to excel at this. Some savvy tips? Make sure the student and his or her parents see you there. Introduce yourself to the coach, director, principal, or whoever is leading the program or event. Keep track of which students you’ve visited and when; that way, you don’t miss anyone and you play fair. A great follow-up is to send a card the day after your visit or the event. This creates a double blessing for the teenager. And if you ever get a chance to chaperone at a school event, take it! You’ll probably see a bunch of your students all at once.
5
One (hyphenated) word: Multi-generational!
Many smaller church youth groups find themselves an integral part of church-wide events; their attendance or absence is always noted. In fact, spaghetti suppers and movie nights are fantastic ways for your youth to serve the church. One struggle at many larger churches is a “silo” mentality—ministries that are self-contained unto themselves. (Think of the corn, wheat, and black-eyed peas silos on a farm; they’re self-contained and never mix.) I’ve heard one story after another about how the total (smaller) church comes together for such things as VBS, yard sales, and potlucks. My church couldn’t survive without
7
our students’ ability to come and turn the pumpkins in our annual pumpkin patch. The urban myth that says teenagers don’t want to spend time with the total church is just that: a myth. Here’s an example from my friend Karen Johns, who has spent nine years serving in youth ministry at a church in Kettering, Ohio: “An interesting part of Sugar Creek Presbyterian is the mixture of generations in its programming. A major strength is the way the youth and adults work together. The youth have a chance to build true multi-generational relationships: adults serving as confirmation mentors; a sixth-grader and 90-year-old singing in the same choir; youth taking initiative in creating meaningful church-wide mission experiences; people of all ages leading worship as liturgists; talent shows where generations of families perform together...the list goes on! Our youth are a part of the living church; they are supported, nurtured, and loved as they learn their role in the world.”
6
8
Yeah, we have less money, but it’s easier to get more
I remember the ancient days in the 1990s (I was 12) when my youth budget was close to $50K, and that didn’t include
my salary or our fundraising. I had no idea how good I had it. It paid for my cell phone (yes we had cell phones—really big ones!), all the book resources I needed, training events for me and 25 of my volunteers, two interns, all volunteer expenses, and so on. If we needed it, we had the money for it. These days, I don’t even know what to say about that enormous budget. I can submit whatever budget I want to my boss, but I always hear these words: “You know we just don’t have the money right now.” You’ve probably heard those words, too! Weird dynamic, though. When I had the larger youth ministry and budgets, I handled a lot more paperwork and witnessed a lot less on-the-spot generosity. Maybe there was an attitude rooted in this thought: “Isn’t that what their budget is for?” In a smaller church, everyone knows there’s no money for the youth group, so it’s easier to just ask for what we need, like money for camp. We get it! Sure we do fundraisers—but we also ask and invite people to sponsor individual students and it just happens. God is good!
7
Heaven in the real world
The world of youth ministry in smaller churches is populated with way more volunteer or part-time lead youth workers
9
than full-time youth pastors. Most lead youth workers also work another job. Here’s a glass-mostly-full way to look at this. Being on staff full time at a church can be great—but it can also be a small, narrow world. In my experience, having another job or being out in the world has made me better in my ministry. We’re standing on the highways and byways of our culture and our communities with an opportunity to be Jesus in less sheltered circumstances. I like the advantage a “real world” job gives me to meet and reach people who might not come through the doors of my church.
8
There’s a weird freedom
When I had the big youth ministry jobs, I faced a lot of pressure to succeed. The big budget and salary are accompanied by a certain entitlement from church members—a sense of ownership that can roll outside of healthy boundaries. With a big salary came the external pressure of church members with big expectations and demands. With a big salary came the internal pressure of being all things youth ministry to all parties concerned. Not now. In a smaller church, I feel a lack of performance pressure. There’s not as much to lose. Strangely enough, it gives me freedom to be less insecure, which makes me stronger and bolder in service. Decisions aren’t based on the fear of losing my job and not being able to support my
10
family—they’re based on determining what matters most: loving God and loving students. When you make lousy money—or no pay at all—in youth ministry, you’re really not doing it for the money. Just a fun fact of youth ministry life.
9
More than a manager
I’m gonna let my friend Darren Sutton, from Corpus Christi, Texas, share his thought on this: “I love being able to be more than a manager. When I served in a huge church, I spent most of my time administering and developing adult leadership (which I love)...but it’s not the only thing I love. I like knowing most of my kids and their families well. I like being able to be ‘interrupted’ by kids and not find myself three weeks behind. I like knowing lots of adults in the church who have the potential to serve in the student ministry.”
10
The family factor
Later on we’ll chat about the challenges of multi-age levels in a smaller setting, but here’s a positive spin from my friend Kim Dearborn from Grace United Methodist Church in Grove City, Pennsylvania:
11
“My students have the opportunity to attend the megachurch youth group down the street yet continue to attend our youth group because they say it feels like a family. Most of my older students are very protective and willing to mentor the younger students. I love knowing that my students take what we learn and hold each other accountable because they are all comfortable with one another. I feel that a smaller youth group enables you to know each student in a more personal way and you can be much more involved in their daily lives.” Smaller youth groups seem to embrace the mixing of agestages. I think they instinctively understand the need for critical mass for “group events,” which seems to gel around five people (though less than five can feel good for small group study).
12
Serving aS a youth worker in a Smaller church can be one of the moSt difficult aSSignmentS — but the rewardS are undeniably SatiSfying.
You don’t have as many resources—but you know every student’s name. Your attendance drops every time that one family takes a vacation—but your smaller size gives you the flexibility to quickly and creatively adapt. You have a smaller pool of people for recruiting volunteers—but the entire church can fully adopt the youth group as its own and engage in life-shaping ministry with your teenagers. Veteran youth worker Stephanie Caro delivers practical suggestions and resources for youth ministry programming, affirming your students and leaders, and tapping into creative, beneficial resources.
major themes in the book include:
• Appreciating the advantages of serving in a smaller youth ministry • Finding, training, and keeping quality volunteers • Making parents your partners in ministry • Coping with the oddities of a smaller youth group • Doing more ministry with less money
Celebrate the wonderful journey of ministry in the smaller congregation with 99 Thoughts for Smaller Church Youth Workers, and become a more passionate youth worker who’s deeply committed to helping guide teenagers toward a Jesus-centered life!
visit Stephanie’s blog www.Smallchurchyouthministry.com
Stephanie caro has been working with children, youth, and adults for over 30 years in all aspects of church ministry. Stephanie’s humorous, yet straightforward style has made her a popular speaker at youth gatherings, camps, conferences, training events, retreats, women’s ministries, and more. She’s also a frequent contributor to GROUP Magazine plus several ministry resource books. Stephanie leads the Simply Youth Ministry Conference Inside Track Team.
ISBN 978-0-7644-6606-9
Printed in the U.S.A.
Religion/Christian Ministry/Youth
Printed in the United States of America.
dedication
This book is dedicated to a delightful group of youth ministry friends, the SYMC Inside Track Team. You bring me joy and laughter on a daily basis and inspire me to keep doing this youth ministry thing. You have captured a permanent place in my heart.
contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 The Big Advantage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Running With the Big Dogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 The Vortex of Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 It’s a Balancing Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 The Particulars on Parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 The Oddities of a Smaller Group . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Navigating Your Church’s Channels . . . . . . . . . 73 Doing More Ministry With Less Money . . . . . . . 83 A Few of My Favorite Things. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Four Things I Wish Someone . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Told Me Earlier
introduction
Hey, my youth ministry friends! If you’re reading this book, the intertwining of our lives has begun. If you’re serving in a smaller church youth ministry, the weaving continues. I’ve served in large and small youth ministries. Both are wonderful and both drive me nuts! One thing that remains constant: Students need the love of Jesus and Jesus-followers. That’s where we both come on to the scene. From my heart to yours, I really want this book to be a conversation between you and me. I’ve invited several smaller church youth workers to join the book’s conversation by adding their thoughts into each chapter. We’re all in this together with one goal, right? Sharing the love of God with students (and the adults who work with them) in our ministries. From the bottom of my heart, I L.O.V.E. how so many of us have connected through the Simply Youth Ministry blog, smallchurchyouthministry.com, Facebook® (friend me!), and Twitter®.
1
If you’re looking for deep, theological brainiac-ness, then go read something else. Youth workers in smaller churches are often volunteer or part-time/bi-vocational. We’re busy people who need to read what’s quick and practical. In the pages to follow, you’ll find 99 extended thoughts divided into 10 topic buckets we all may face while living out life with students. Each bucket of thoughts will focus through the lens of a smaller church setting. Sometimes the struggles aren’t different from what youth workers face in medium-sized or larger church youth ministries. But a lot of times, we face a special brand of monster. To borrow from God’s Word, here’s how I see our partnered journey as youth workers trying to hang on tight while praying to make a Jesus-impact: By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped (Ecclesiastes 4:12 The Message). See ya at the end of the book…unless you’d like to chat along the way on our blog. Grab some coffee and stop by smallchurchyouthministry.com.
Stephanie
2
the big advantage 1
I want to know every student’s name
Every summer, I spend several weeks back in “big youth group” world as an emcee for Group Workcamps. Oh the cacophony of noise! The sounds of more than 400 students living under one roof for a week is a special joy all its own. It’s not for wimps or the faint of heart. There is this constant noise like the hum of a plague of nighttime bugs. You learn a certain type of selective deafness—what to ignore and when to pay attention to a certain squeal that spells trouble. And if it becomes too quiet? Run for your flashlight and start searching the halls ’cuz there’s trouble in River City, my friend! I love it! I love mission trips, making new friends, the sense of God incarnate, spending time with youth, and the dumb late-night knock-knock jokes. But here’s what I hate about this annual experience: The week will go by and I’ll see a student that looks totally unfamiliar to me. With 400-plus campers, I learn 100 names at best. Although I still feel the
3
sense of God’s family, I mourn the missed opportunity of showing that student—and all the ones I don’t get to know well—I really do care about who they are. Aren’t we lucky to serve in smaller settings? We can learn each student’s name, favorite food, birthday, likes, dislikes, movie preference, and so on. So here’s your homework: Picture all the teenagers that come to your youth program. Can you name 10 particulars about each person? Work on that…aren’t we lucky? We get to do this!
2
It’s not like turning the Titanic around
Big boats require a lot of effort to turn around. They can’t do it easily and often need the help of many other small boats to get in and out of port. In their bigness, they can hold huge numbers of people, but if a midcourse correction is needed, a lot of folks have to sign off after a lot of communication. Not with a small boat. It’s just you, the water, and sails or an engine. Changing your mind or changing directions leaves a small wake. Though it’s still wise to let someone know you’ve modified your course, it’s a simpler, easier process. The same with your youth ministry. You can change course more quickly because you don’t have to jump through as many hoops. Don’t misunderstand me: I’m not advocating
4
skipping any proper approval process in your church’s administration. It’s just simpler and easier in a smaller setting. For example: You get word at the last minute that a student broke his leg. With a smaller group, you can spread the word to everyone that you’re taking your weekly youth group meeting on the road to deliver cheer to their injured peer—perhaps serenading him outside his window with a big candy gram. Being small gives your ministry agility and flexibility.
3
Even the little things make your students happy
Maybe I’m wrong, but in smaller churches and smaller youth ministries, I think teenagers are happier with whatever comes their way. I’ve served in big settings where it felt like demands were higher and there was less room for failure. Teenagers in smaller churches often excel at appreciating what the church does together, and they find ways to be satiated by enjoying one another’s company. I’m not saying it’s OK to give your students less than your very best. I’m saying that smaller groups of teenagers seem to be happier with each other—it doesn’t take the big woo-hoo that’s often required and expected in bigger youth ministries. One of the best nights my students and I ever had was when I taught them how to play the card game
5
Spoons at a Christmas week lock-in. You’d have thought it was the newest thing around, and we had so much fun! Maybe it’s all in the presentation. If it looks like you just threw things together for your students, it’ll come across that way and they’ll respond accordingly. But with a little thought, even a simple Spoons championship can feel like a meaningful, well-executed event. Not only did I teach them the game, but I also gave each student a deck of Santa cards and a set of spoons. They must have liked it—because they got in trouble for playing the game during church the next Sunday.
4
You can visit every single one of them!
One of the cardinal rules of “how to be even just a mediocre youth worker” is visiting students at their games, matches, concerts, plays, art shows, dance recitals, spelling bees, work-release programs, and so on. If you don’t make this a practice and priority, you probably should look for another ministry role because youth ministry isn’t your thing. Teenagers are craving to have you come watch them do what they do. No need to gush or make a huge deal of it. Your quiet presence watching them do their thing will be noticed. And they won’t forget it. It communicates that you care about them personally, and that’s way up there on a youth worker’s job description.
6
Since you don’t have a huge number of students to work into your schedule, you have the opportunity to excel at this. Some savvy tips? Make sure the student and his or her parents see you there. Introduce yourself to the coach, director, principal, or whoever is leading the program or event. Keep track of which students you’ve visited and when; that way, you don’t miss anyone and you play fair. A great follow-up is to send a card the day after your visit or the event. This creates a double blessing for the teenager. And if you ever get a chance to chaperone at a school event, take it! You’ll probably see a bunch of your students all at once.
5
One (hyphenated) word: Multi-generational!
Many smaller church youth groups find themselves an integral part of church-wide events; their attendance or absence is always noted. In fact, spaghetti suppers and movie nights are fantastic ways for your youth to serve the church. One struggle at many larger churches is a “silo” mentality—ministries that are self-contained unto themselves. (Think of the corn, wheat, and black-eyed peas silos on a farm; they’re self-contained and never mix.) I’ve heard one story after another about how the total (smaller) church comes together for such things as VBS, yard sales, and potlucks. My church couldn’t survive without
7
our students’ ability to come and turn the pumpkins in our annual pumpkin patch. The urban myth that says teenagers don’t want to spend time with the total church is just that: a myth. Here’s an example from my friend Karen Johns, who has spent nine years serving in youth ministry at a church in Kettering, Ohio: “An interesting part of Sugar Creek Presbyterian is the mixture of generations in its programming. A major strength is the way the youth and adults work together. The youth have a chance to build true multi-generational relationships: adults serving as confirmation mentors; a sixth-grader and 90-year-old singing in the same choir; youth taking initiative in creating meaningful church-wide mission experiences; people of all ages leading worship as liturgists; talent shows where generations of families perform together...the list goes on! Our youth are a part of the living church; they are supported, nurtured, and loved as they learn their role in the world.”
6
8
Yeah, we have less money, but it’s easier to get more
I remember the ancient days in the 1990s (I was 12) when my youth budget was close to $50K, and that didn’t include
my salary or our fundraising. I had no idea how good I had it. It paid for my cell phone (yes we had cell phones—really big ones!), all the book resources I needed, training events for me and 25 of my volunteers, two interns, all volunteer expenses, and so on. If we needed it, we had the money for it. These days, I don’t even know what to say about that enormous budget. I can submit whatever budget I want to my boss, but I always hear these words: “You know we just don’t have the money right now.” You’ve probably heard those words, too! Weird dynamic, though. When I had the larger youth ministry and budgets, I handled a lot more paperwork and witnessed a lot less on-the-spot generosity. Maybe there was an attitude rooted in this thought: “Isn’t that what their budget is for?” In a smaller church, everyone knows there’s no money for the youth group, so it’s easier to just ask for what we need, like money for camp. We get it! Sure we do fundraisers—but we also ask and invite people to sponsor individual students and it just happens. God is good!
7
Heaven in the real world
The world of youth ministry in smaller churches is populated with way more volunteer or part-time lead youth workers
9
than full-time youth pastors. Most lead youth workers also work another job. Here’s a glass-mostly-full way to look at this. Being on staff full time at a church can be great—but it can also be a small, narrow world. In my experience, having another job or being out in the world has made me better in my ministry. We’re standing on the highways and byways of our culture and our communities with an opportunity to be Jesus in less sheltered circumstances. I like the advantage a “real world” job gives me to meet and reach people who might not come through the doors of my church.
8
There’s a weird freedom
When I had the big youth ministry jobs, I faced a lot of pressure to succeed. The big budget and salary are accompanied by a certain entitlement from church members—a sense of ownership that can roll outside of healthy boundaries. With a big salary came the external pressure of church members with big expectations and demands. With a big salary came the internal pressure of being all things youth ministry to all parties concerned. Not now. In a smaller church, I feel a lack of performance pressure. There’s not as much to lose. Strangely enough, it gives me freedom to be less insecure, which makes me stronger and bolder in service. Decisions aren’t based on the fear of losing my job and not being able to support my
10
family—they’re based on determining what matters most: loving God and loving students. When you make lousy money—or no pay at all—in youth ministry, you’re really not doing it for the money. Just a fun fact of youth ministry life.
9
More than a manager
I’m gonna let my friend Darren Sutton, from Corpus Christi, Texas, share his thought on this: “I love being able to be more than a manager. When I served in a huge church, I spent most of my time administering and developing adult leadership (which I love)...but it’s not the only thing I love. I like knowing most of my kids and their families well. I like being able to be ‘interrupted’ by kids and not find myself three weeks behind. I like knowing lots of adults in the church who have the potential to serve in the student ministry.”
10
The family factor
Later on we’ll chat about the challenges of multi-age levels in a smaller setting, but here’s a positive spin from my friend Kim Dearborn from Grace United Methodist Church in Grove City, Pennsylvania:
11
“My students have the opportunity to attend the megachurch youth group down the street yet continue to attend our youth group because they say it feels like a family. Most of my older students are very protective and willing to mentor the younger students. I love knowing that my students take what we learn and hold each other accountable because they are all comfortable with one another. I feel that a smaller youth group enables you to know each student in a more personal way and you can be much more involved in their daily lives.” Smaller youth groups seem to embrace the mixing of agestages. I think they instinctively understand the need for critical mass for “group events,” which seems to gel around five people (though less than five can feel good for small group study).
12
Serving aS a youth worker in a Smaller church can be one of the moSt difficult aSSignmentS — but the rewardS are undeniably SatiSfying.
You don’t have as many resources—but you know every student’s name. Your attendance drops every time that one family takes a vacation—but your smaller size gives you the flexibility to quickly and creatively adapt. You have a smaller pool of people for recruiting volunteers—but the entire church can fully adopt the youth group as its own and engage in life-shaping ministry with your teenagers. Veteran youth worker Stephanie Caro delivers practical suggestions and resources for youth ministry programming, affirming your students and leaders, and tapping into creative, beneficial resources.
major themes in the book include:
• Appreciating the advantages of serving in a smaller youth ministry • Finding, training, and keeping quality volunteers • Making parents your partners in ministry • Coping with the oddities of a smaller youth group • Doing more ministry with less money
Celebrate the wonderful journey of ministry in the smaller congregation with 99 Thoughts for Smaller Church Youth Workers, and become a more passionate youth worker who’s deeply committed to helping guide teenagers toward a Jesus-centered life!
visit Stephanie’s blog www.Smallchurchyouthministry.com
Stephanie caro has been working with children, youth, and adults for over 30 years in all aspects of church ministry. Stephanie’s humorous, yet straightforward style has made her a popular speaker at youth gatherings, camps, conferences, training events, retreats, women’s ministries, and more. She’s also a frequent contributor to GROUP Magazine plus several ministry resource books. Stephanie leads the Simply Youth Ministry Conference Inside Track Team.
ISBN 978-0-7644-6606-9
Printed in the U.S.A.
Religion/Christian Ministry/Youth
