{"id":36338,"date":"2022-08-10T09:00:32","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T13:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thinkorange.com\/blog\/what-makes-a-great-youth-pastor\/"},"modified":"2023-12-22T10:17:09","modified_gmt":"2023-12-22T15:17:09","slug":"what-makes-a-great-youth-pastor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinkorange.com\/blog\/what-makes-a-great-youth-pastor\/","title":{"rendered":"What Makes a Great Youth Pastor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When you started in youth ministry, what was your idea of greatness?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve only just begun confronting my real response to this question. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

See, no matter how I talked about it. No matter how Jesus-juked I made it. No matter how much I ascribed accomplishments \u201call to God\u2019s glory\u201d \u2026I couldn\u2019t deny the fact that growing attendance, hyped students, and more prominent platforms <\/span>really felt <\/span><\/i>like the epitome of greatness in youth ministry.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the last few years so many of us have talked about how ministry priorities need to change, how measures of success need to shift, and how attendance should no longer be the primary indicator of effectiveness\u2026but how many of us are ready to give up the parts of our own identity that are tied to these things?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know, that one stings me a little bit too.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me be even more open with you:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years I said things like, \u201cWell, even if there aren\u2019t a lot of students here, God will work in the ones who showed up.”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

. . . While also wondering how so much work could have resulted in so few attendees.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I spent years overworking and compromising my ability to be present with my family because of what I thought it took to \u201cbuild the ministry.”<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silently, I waited for invites to certain stages, events, and platforms that I had hoped would affirm my effectiveness.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Own Ideas of Greatness<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Honestly, these things feel cringy to admit, but my thought is that the more real I am with you, the more real you\u2019ll be willing to be with yourself.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Am I saying that every youth pastor wrestles with ambition, validation, and the desire to grow in influence? Yes! (I wish there was a sarcasm font.) Ok, not really. I do think there are those that are far more mature and spiritually formed than I was in the early days of my ministry. But for the rest of us, I\u2019d rather be real than portray an image that perpetuates the pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

See, for many of us in modern westernized society greatness is tied to ideas of influence, magnitude, and recognizability. If we create something worth anything it has to be supersized, imitated, and incredibly popular. Unfortunately, if you\u2019ve been a part of youth ministry within the last 20 years or so, this same way of thinking has crept into our ideas of what makes a leader and her or his ministry truly great.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s the problem with this: Jesus had a totally different standard of greatness . . . <\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant (Matthew 20:26b NIV).<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve heard it a million times, but the real question is: \u201cDo we really believe it?\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To truly be great, we have to be great at serving others.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you do this well while still leading something large, having a <\/span>huge <\/span><\/i>social media platform, and being someone other people look to for advice? Of course! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, if we pursue those results ahead of prioritizing the way we <\/span>serve<\/span><\/i> those in our care, we may find ourselves exceeding our metrics while depleting our ability to truly minister.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the church truly is<\/em>\u00a0changing, and if our measures of success really do<\/em> need to shift, then why don\u2019t we start by painting a new picture of what it means to be a great youth pastor?<\/span> So, here’s how to be a great youth pastor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Makes a Great Youth Pastor?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here are six suggestions I\u2019d like to add to the list of what truly makes a great youth pastor:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A great youth pastor is healthy<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m not saying you have to eat kale for every meal. Because at camp that\u2019s literally impossible. I am saying that a great youth pastor prioritizes their personal health, so that they can invest in the health of their staff, volunteers, parents, and students.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means you are creating habits that optimize your ability to show up at your best each day for the people you\u2019re serving. If you\u2019re <\/span>crushing <\/span><\/i>it when it comes to programming and creating environments students love, while your physical, mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual health are all <\/span>being crushed <\/span><\/i>you\u2019re experiencing counterfeit greatness.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A great youth pastor is whole<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Being whole has everything to do with your integrity. In fact, Google the word \u201cintegrity\u201d and you\u2019ll find that it\u2019s defined as \u201cthe quality or state of being whole and undivided.”<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be whole is to have integrity.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Great youth pastors don\u2019t stop at being healthy. They are intentional about being who they are in public while they are in private. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means that those closest to you benefit most from you.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It means what you do when no one is watching would we worth following if others could see.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means you make decisions that you\u2019d encourage your staff, volunteers, and students to make as well.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Look, this isn\u2019t about being perfect but it is about doing your best to be whole.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think we are all theologically sound enough to know that we cannot do this on our own. This is why prioritizing and investing in your own relationship with God means <\/span>everything<\/span><\/i>. Yet, as a youth pastor, sometimes it\u2019s <\/span>way<\/span><\/i> easier to help students grow in their faith than it is to experience that growth ourselves.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why I think great youth pastors, <\/span>whole<\/span><\/i> youth pastors, find ways to know and be known by others. Youth ministry is not for the faint of heart. It\u2019s also not for the isolated. Whether it\u2019s a best friend, a mentor, a spouse, or other church staff . . . make sure that someone knows you beyond the formalities of your leadership role. Make sure you give someone you trust access to who you are. No matter how you do this, if you want to be great and you want to serve others the way Jesus was able to, you must make sure to be whole.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A great youth pastor is humble<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jesus already told us that true greatness is service, so we just need to live as though we believe it.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your goal is to grow to a point where everyone else can do the work and you can watch your influence spread . . . you might need a humility check.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In youth ministry, it can be so easy to let our egos get the best of us. When the compliments come in from parents, when volunteers are willing to go the extra mile, when students show up in droves, when our social media gains traction, when other youth pastors recognize the good going on in our context. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

None of this is inherently bad. In fact, all of these things can be amazing. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The differentiator is our level of humility.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t take credit for anything. Or that you should put yourself down or downplay the impact of the ministry you lead. But you should ask one question: <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the day, do I think that this ministry rises and falls on me?<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then depending on your answer, you can either continue to remind yourself of your dependence on God daily or you can choose to repent for getting caught up in some pride.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personally, I\u2019ve been in both positions. <\/span>Dependence on God is <\/b>always <\/i><\/b>better than reliance on self.<\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Holy Spirit is the only one who changes hearts. Choosing to lead with the humility this statement invokes will having you heading toward greatness in no time.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Great youth pastors are hardworking<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This one is last, because I believe for most youth pastors this one almost comes naturally. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Youth pastors know how to work hard. Great youth pastors pour blood, sweat, and tears into the work they are doing to invest in the faith and future of the next generation. You don\u2019t do this at the cost of the first 3 points we\u2019ve covered. But you are willing to work <\/span>hard <\/span><\/i>as you partner with the Holy Spirit to shepherd students.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By choosing to work hard you\u2019re committing to rewriting the stereotypes of youth ministry. Here are a few ideas on how to do this.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n