Battles of Youth Ministry
Notes
Transcript
Unappreciative Attitudes
Unappreciative Attitudes
Often in youth ministry your value is often under estimated among the majority of the church. Their is a bad perception of youth ministry being glorified baby sitter or church event planner.
In reality if people have never been in youth ministry they don’t understand the work it is. I have been asking myself a lot lately how did we become more transparent with the church as a whole and shed light on the work that goes on in youth ministry.
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
This can be tough to remember, because we all like to be appreciated. But the reality of ministry is when you are doing your job right, you are going to have problems. You are in warfare, and the devil ain’t gonna waste his time on you if you are accomplishing nothing.
Realize where your value comes from
God gave you your calling, man cannot take that call from you
The opposition is not as great as you think it is
Usually a small handful is making the racket
Find one person with influence in the church that you trust and confide in them.
Under Resourced
Under Resourced
Youth ministry in many places is undervalued thus under resourced. I’m not really talking about money, in youth ministry we know how to be resourceful and creative.
We are under resourced in people. As youth ministers in a huge sense we are filling a roll we were not meant to fill. Who should be the main spiritual influence in their child’s life? The parents.
Hear, my son, your father’s instruction,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching,
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
Parents should be the main spiritual mentor in their child’s life, but reflect on that fact. How many of your youth is that true for? Many Christian parents cannot mentor right because they themselves have not shown discipline in their own lives.
"Our children are not falling away because the church is doing a poor job. Our children are falling away because we are asking the church to do what God designed the family to accomplish."
-Voddie Baucham
Often kids from broken homes come searching.
We need mentors, and their is not enough. Often our volunteers/mentors are overstretched already trying to meet the needs of the community being neglected by the church as a whole.
With youth ministry being undervalued means people under value your time and if they have the right influence can cause you to use your time in a nonproductive way thus leaving you under-resourced in your time.
Culture
Culture
Big night for youth ministry is Wednesday night. Sporadically have them at other times. They spend more time being exposed to the culture rather than the word of God. So often we take some victories to only be set back several steps in the following week. The culture we live in is so anti-Christian. But it is attacking the Bible by trying to keep it but watered down.
Culture is instilling ungodly characteristics in our kids.
They have 1000s of voices influencing them, we all can testify to them keeping their face in social media. Often we are the only 1 voice calling them to the ways of God.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
But one voice backed by God will always carry more power than 1000s backed by demons.
Lack of Discipleship
Lack of Discipleship
I don’t mean seminary or school training. More so a lack of discipleship. Many youth pastors start by being told hey you good with teens, go teach them, or you may be a parent that fills the gap. As we have seen, youth ministry is tough, ministry comes with challenges unique to ministry. With that all in mind it is good to have someone to disciple you that has been there, that knows what it feels like to be in the valleys of ministry. Bottom line is youth ministry is tough. Average time at a church is 14-18 months. I am always here to talk and be here for any of you whenever you need it.