Reality Check: You cannot do youth ministry by yourself. You will never be able to do youth ministry by yourself. Your church, students, and community need more than you alone will ever be able to provide. You NEED a team.
Let’s break this down:
- You simply can’t do it all.
If you have a large student ministry, it is impossible for you to disciple the masses. The more leaders you recruit and train up, the deeper the impact that your ministry will have. If you are a part-time youth pastor with only a handful of students, you still need to execute a professional full-time youth ministry through the strategic efforts of a passionate team.
- You can’t be everywhere.
You might be able to make every game, small group, Sunday, lunch, coffee, etc., but it’ll cost you your sanity and family. As your ministry continues to grow, you will need leaders dedicated to being present in your student’s lives.
- You’re just not good at everything.
If you are a visionary that tends to ignore the details (like permission slips, event registrations, weekly communication) then perhaps you would benefit from an administrative team who can help you carry out that grandiose vision. Or maybe you need a Small Groups team to help you recruit, train, and send out leaders. Strong leaders know themselves. This means they know their weaknesses and fill their gaps with qualified and passionate leaders. Where are you weak? Who can you recruit to take your ministry to the next level?
Want help building an All-Star Team?
If you are doing youth ministry alone, or if recruiting leaders feels like pulling teeth, then you need to check out Jody Livingston’s new online course, Building the All-Star Youth Ministry Team. I know you can relate to the following:
Have you ever…
✔felt guilty for just plugging warm bodies into spots in your Youth Ministry?
✔felt like a used car salesman when recruiting new volunteers?
✔found yourself on promotion Sunday still needing a ton of volunteers?
Have you ever had any of these thoughts?
✔“I feel like I’m begging people to serve in our Youth Ministry.”
✔“I wish I could have volunteers that are passionate about our Youth Ministry.”
✔“I’m tired of having to do it all alone, and am not sure how much longer I can do this.”
So…what would your ministry look like if you had a team of loving adults around you who are pouring into the teens in your ministry?
I’m so excited for this course and the way it will help youth workers, like you and I, be intentional. In Building an All-Star Youth Ministry Team, Jody will teach you:
✔ Why you need a team around you
✔ Where to find the volunteers you want and need
✔ How to approach and ask potential volunteers without begging
✔ How to keep the team you build
✔ What to do when you have to ask a volunteer to step out
Get after it! Leaders are learners and we all have a lot to learn about how to build an all-star team. I’ll see you inside the course!
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David Hanson: Texas native, Texas Tech Red Raider, M.Div. at Truett Seminary, husband to Ashley, father to Ava & Ben, Student Pastor at The Fellowship in Round Rock, Tx, table tennis (ping-pong) extraordinaire, addicted to coffee. For anything else…you’ll just have to ask.
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