Youth Ministry & the Departing Youth Worker
I don’t think I am an alarmist. The word ‘departing’ in the title of this post may appear that I am but to me, the word ‘vanishing’ was to excessive. Another word that came to mind was ‘deserting’ and that just didn’t seem fair.
At any rate, today I got news via a friend’s email that a mutual friend of ours was departing youth ministry to plant a church in NYC. Normally I wouldn’t think twice about the news as change in our lives is inevitable and youth ministers are departing their roles as spiritual guides to emerging adults everyday. However, this bit of news came in a long line of reports and personal conversations with youth workers who are leaving their vocation.
I’m curious… does anyone else see a greater number of youth ministers than what feels ordinary leaving their role in exchange for something other that youth work? To me, it sure feels like there are more youth ministers leaving than what is usual. Perhaps this phenomenon is only occurring in the view through my little window of youth ministry.
NOTE: I realize that there has always been a fair amount of transition among youth workers. However, most of that transition has been from one church or ministry to another not a transition away from youth work altogether.
I have some thoughts as to why we might be seeing more youth ministers leaving their roles of serving youth and their families. I’m hoping you can help me fill out this list.
Here are a few of my thoughts:
1. Theology- it appears to me that today’s youth minister has a very different theological framework for approaching ministry than their supervising ministers and church boards. This results in youth ministers looking to other ministry opportunities and other environments in which to express their divergent theological convictions.
2. Methodology – I have found that in the conversations I am having with departing youth workers one of the main issues contributing to the exit strategies has to do with churches operating with an attractional model of ministry when many youth ministers are resonating more with a missional model. After a while it just becomes like two ships passing in the night and this leads to transition.
3. Leadership – I have also found that many youth workers feel as though they are ready for greater leadership challenges and influence and their supervising ministers are either not in agreement or completely unwilling to step aside to give the youth worker a greater amount of influence. I’m not saying the youth workers are ready for more or not, but one thing that is sure is that youth workers think they deserve more and unquestionably want more.
4. Expectations – There are a growing number of expectations being placed on the youth worker by others (church leadership, parents, students, peers, etc.) and this causes a working environment that is inescapably overwhelming. I’m not quite sure exactly what is causing the growing expectations but I have a hunch it has to do with the absolute disorientation most people feel as it relates to the most effective ways to make disciples of today’s youth.
5. Calling – Sometimes God calls people to new vocations. I get that. I believe a fair number of the departing youth workers I have talked with are really being led to do something else.
6. Schedule – Youth workers work their butt off and often without a healthy balance. Some youth workers are just tired and the grass on the other side looks a whole lot more green, and often it can be.
Are sensing a growing number of youth workers departing for things other than youth? What are your thoughts on why that might be the case? Do you have any solutions to offer us?
April 30th, 2009 - 21:33
I am feeling you. It also seems like there has been an incredibly high number of ministry friends that have been wounded by ministries of late as well, which really bothers me.
I think that this transition can be a positive thing for the Church as a whole since these missionally minded pastors head off and do ministry in a way that moves away from a model that demands a youth program in order to be “effective”. I am excited to see a generation of student sensitive lead pastors starting to take on the mantle of responsibility in the local church.
May 2nd, 2009 - 19:43
i totally agree.
as a youth worker, i know i have felt the effect of all of those things. i have found that the hardest parts of youth work can actually come from the church staff, which is discouraging.
i think that we have a unique occurrence right now. we have postmodern youth ministers operating in modern churches. this frustrates everyone involved! it has been extremely hard to bled the two.
May 5th, 2009 - 09:02
Hey Chris and others…
As the potential “mutual friend” spoken of in this thread, I may have a few thoughts to toss in the mix.
First, I resonate with the overall tone and questions raised in your blog about departing youth pastors. I know of a number of respected youth workers who are deeply and seriously contemplating a departure from the student ministry playground to go play on another one. I am obviously “guilty” (if that’s what we want to call it) of actually doing the same.
Second, I can identify with each of your bullet points and would also commiserate with Matt and Geoff’s comments as well. There is much pain and carnage inflicted by churches, boards, supervisors and Lead Pastors. After so many “blows” some youth workers have to figure out a way to stay committed to their call to ministry but can’t reconcile getting beat up one more time. The risk becomes too great. I’ll also add that while it seems popular to talk about increasing the ownership of younger, emerging leaders into the fabric of the local church by elder pastors etc, in general, it seems that most are inept at actually creating the space for it to actually happen. For me, this is a great time to ask the “why” questions and decide now that I will lead differently. May Jesus make it so!?!
Third, I dont know what the answer is. Have the numbers reached an alarming rate that cause what we know as youth ministry in America to be threatened? If so, is that even a bad thing? As so called veteran youth workers leave youth ministry for other adventures it leaves the door wide open for younger, newer, greener youth workers to step in. But is this good? Wont this just create further momentum to the ongoing issues – throwing fresh meat into the cycle?! These newer, younger youth workers are no less prepared to deal with the archaic, modern churches/systems. To be honest, it seems almost helpless Chris; if the veteran folks can’t change and influence the system then is there any hope? There are great people doing great work, both in and outside the local church (take you and Mike and the folks at Youthfront for example) but is that going to be enough to turn the tide?
Fourth, I want the local church to win! I deeply want youth ministry to find its rightful new place in the context of local church ministry and long for youth pastors to be seen as legitimate pastors on the team – not the stepchildren of a previous relationship gone bad.
Fifth, after 13 years I’ve finally jumped off the teeter-totter of youth ministry and am now headed into a new adventure – church planting. I desperately tried to stay, fought to stay, prayed and cried and begged to stay in youth ministry. But at the end of the day, my decision came down to calling. For over three and half years I have been trying to find answers to questions that seemed to elude me. I searched for definition and clarity in the midst of confusion. And I’m elated to say that it finally has! I’m grieved to be leaving the full time world of youth ministry but believe any other step other than this one would be disobedient and only bring pain, mess and further confusion to me, my family and those to whom I’d minister.
Finally, I have no idea what “youth ministry” will look like in this church plant in the East Village – but, I know that I still have a love for youth and will certainly pastor and lead differently because of my experience in student ministry. In some very real ways I’ll be able to stay connected to youth culture and still be involved in some unique and great youth ministry arenas.
anyway – thanks for the post and for raising these questions. They are important realities for the church to wrestle with and although somewhat negative from this vantage point, could be the very thing that helps to reculture a whole new kind of youth ministry.
May 5th, 2009 - 10:49
I am right in the middle of this mess. I could not resonate more with Guy’s response. I work for a large, influential evangelical Bible church. We charted a course for a new direction in ministry almost a year ago and the arrows started flying. It is a mess. We had a messy ministry that was bound to fail at trying new things, but at least we would have been trying new things. The first three points hit the nail on the head in our situation. Thanks for writing this blog and thanks to those who have responded. It helps me understand that I’m not alone.