Honestly Evaluating your ministry

Have you ever watched a video of yourself presenting a message? How about listening to yourself sing? I have, and I don't particularily enjoy either of them. I am critical and can't believe the mistakes I make. Sometimes the truth is painful, but helpful. Every person who follows Jesus has been given gifts and abilities by God. We are also expected to use those things which God has given us to give glory and honor to Him. The parable of the talents makes this clear. I wonder, when was the last time you took time to evaluate your ministry? I don't mean last weeks program or talk, I mean taking a broader view. This is something I do every year in the spring. This has been helpful for me and I want to share with you how you can do this as well.

• Do it in the spring or when your primary programs are slowing down or ending.

There tend to be natural breaks in ministry, take advantage of these. Sometimes we have a tendancy to get lazy and coast through the slow times, but it is much better if we can take advantage of those times to evaluate and plan. For me that time has always been the spring. In addition the spring give you time to make changes and communicate those changes for the fall. This year is especially significant for us as we are making some pretty big changes and we need time to work out all the details. This is also the time when everything is still fresh in your mind.

• Go away

Johnny (the Junior High Director) and I went to a bed and breakfast in a small mountain town about two hours away. there were no phone calls, email, or other office staff distracting us from what we were there to do.

• Have a plan

I have to confess here that I did not have a detailed plan, but I did have a basic idea of what we were going to do. The plan was pretty basic, we were going to evaluate both the Junior and Senior High programs regarding some key areas, go over the calendar through next May, and talk about ways we can do things better. The last thing we were going to do is just hang out and get to know each other a little more. This last item is often more valueable than the task oriented portion of the population gives it credit for.

• Know what parts of the ministry you are going to evaluate

We did not soley focus on programming, we also talked about what kind of culture we were developing, general characteristics of our groups, and how we can better involve parents. you can narrow it down and focus on one area or take a birds eye view, both are valid and should be done from time to time.

• Be brutaly honest

It may sound obvious, but being honest in both a positive and negative way can be difficult. People are usually either overly positive or negative by naature. Don't decieve yourself into thinking things are worse than they are or that things are better than they are. Every weakness provides unique and good opportunities just like every strength has the potential to become a weakness. That is part of the SWOP process.

• Use SWOP or some other method that will help you develop some sort of action plan

We use a SWOP form. You can get this for free at my web site. It allows us to consider what our strengths and weaknesses are and think through the opportunities and potential problems we might have. I am sure there are other methods of doing the same thing, but this works for us. Here is how we do it:

1. First we will think through the strengths and weaknesses of our ministry either generally or in a specific area. We make a list in those two boxes.
2. Second we think through the opportunities we have because of the weaknesses. this is a very important step and the place where we get practical. Find a variety of opportunities and pick the best one or two to implement and turnt the weakness into a strength. Example: We do not creat a loving atmosphere at the level we need to. We have an opportunity to involve students and adult leaders in developing a strategy for being both welcoming and loving as a group. We have grown this pat year, but imagine what kind of environment we could create if we were to make this weakness a strength.
3. Last we think through the potential problems we might have as a result of our strengths. For instance I have a very musically gifted worship leader for the Sr. High. He is young it is likely that he will not be around forever. I could loose him. That is a potential problem. This process helps me to be prepared for loosing him. In the mean time we can be raising up another worship leader to minimize the impact if it is necessary to replace him.

Evaluation is important!! Use whatever method you want, but if you are evaluating at all you will be miles ahead of most people. Take a day, half a day, or maybe a full weekend. Call in your key leaders and go through this process. We used a white board and helped eachother think through this process. In the end we walked away with a good understanding of what we needed to work on and how we needed to do that.

Understanding Your Context

A lot is made of understanding our cultural context. There are magazines like Relevant and people like Walt Mueller who help us in that area. There are web sites about how to use movies, music, Facebook and other cultural phenomenons to further God's kingdom. To all of them I am thankful, and I have learned a lot from many of those sources. There is another kind of context we must consider before we close the door on understanding out context. It is our church context.

In every church there is a culture that church has developed whether they have done so intentionally or not. There are values which have been lifted up above other values, commitments to programs or strategies, and a host of other cultural commitments. A lack of understanding in this area may be one reason that youth pastors sometimes have short stints at a given church. There are all kinds of ministry philosophies and strategies. For instance the church I am currently serving in talks about being "attractional" and "a real church for real people". These two things work themselves out in a variety of ways in our context. It is essential for me to make sure what I am doing with the students is consistent with these two principals.

This is important for a few reasons. The first is that my Senior Pastor will have my back if I am being consistent with the philosophy and strategy that he is implementing in the overall church. Second, this creates a consistency that help students integrate into the rest of the church. Third, when it comes to making changes I have an understanding of what kind of changes would be acceptable in this context and which changes would not be. This gives me a pretty big head start in making programing and strategy type decisions.

Context is not just about what students experience when they are not at church, it is also about the kind of experiences they need when they are at church. Here are some questions that will help you determine the culture at your church:

• What phrases are repeated conistantly by the staff and expecially the Senior Pastor at your church?
• What values or strategies consistently show up in other programs throughout the church?
• How does my Senior Pastor run the ministries he has his hands on?
• Has the church put printed values anywhere? What are they?
• Are there values that I have that are inconsistant with the culture of the church?

Learning to Use Ministry Models

My Freshman year at Oak Hills Bible College in Bemidji (otherwise known as Buuurrrmidji), MN I began my paid youth ministry career. I was hired (along with the woman who is now my wife) to do youth ministry in a small town. At the age of 17 I began a quest to change the world for Jesus. I had huge dreams and a lot of energy, but I had no idea what I was doing. There were "kids" in the youth group that were older than I was. My model of youth ministry was to do whatever my uncle told me to do (he was a pastor in the area) and have a Bible study with the "students". Looking back that was probably a pretty good youth ministry model for that time and place. Ya, I said model.

You might be thinking, "that's not a model." It wasn't an intentional model, but it was a model. I didn't put a lot of thought into it. I didn't sit down and try to figure out what our mission statement was, what our ministry philosophy was, or what values we were trying to incorporate into the ministry. That was way beyond me! Still that model isn't that much different than what I have done for most of my ministry experience (except the part where I do what my uncle tells me to). Over the years I have become more strategic in how I approach ministry which has caused me to tweak and mess with various models of ministry in order to best accomplish the great commandments and the great commission in my context.

For the first five years of my ministry experience I really didn't know what I was doing. I was simply making it up as I went. The first time I received training that really helped me begin to think strategically was at a Sonlife Strategies Seminar (no longer offered). Many people don't look at what Sonlife taught as a model, but models were presented as a way to carry out the strategy which was being proposed. Later I would be exposed to the Willow Creek model, the Purpose Driven model, the Student Led Cell Group model, and others.

Recently "ministry models" as a whole have come under attack. This attack shows a lack of understanding when it comes to the value of models themselves. There is no perfect model which can transcend every cultural context. Chap Clark makes this very point in chapter six of Starting Right, "No one model should ever be revered as the model. In reality they all have weaknesses and strengths."

So what do we do with all of these ministry models? Can any of them be helpful? The simple answer is yes. Models are wonderful for the following reasons:

• They provide focus.
• They provide a way of thinking about ministry.
• Good models are based on good theology and strategic thinking in relation to the context in which they were developed.
  
• They provide a starting point for developing a model specific to your context.

A good youth pastor learns how to exegete his context for ministry and develop a strategy or model that will help him be successful in that context. This is not a new concept, but it seems that it is often forgotten. The incarnation of God the Son is based on this very concept. God had a specific mission in mind (Redeeming mankind) and a specific context in which it must take place. God then decided on a model (the incarnation) through which to accomplish His purpose.

"Every model, whether involving sweeping changes or prescribing minor adjustments, began with someone asking important systemic, structural, programmatic, or strategic questions in the light of a given need or setting." (Chap Clark, Starting Right, p. 110) Ministry should always be relational, but there will always be programs. Ministry should always be contextualized, but there will always be models.

The question is not whether we follow a particular model of ministry but whether or not we have rightly understood our own context and made the appropriate modifications to make a particular model work for us, making that model our own.

In my own experience understanding how others have approached youth ministry in their context has equipped me to think more strategically about how to approach ministry in my context. I have used bits and pieces from a variety of models over the years and it is my familiarity with these models that has allowed me to better use the tools available.

Use the following questions to help you begin to think through what your model of ministry will be in your particular context:

• What is the model of ministry my church has subscribed to? (This is essential there should be continuity throughout all the ministries of your church)
• What is the strategy behind that model? Will that strategy work with the youth?
• What are the core theological and philosophical principals upon which you are building your model?
  
• What needs to be tweaked in order to make that strategy work? (Don't confuse strategy with programming. There should be continuity in programming as well, but that does not mean the programs will not be executed differently i.e. music, drama, location, atmosphere, etc...)
• What programs will make the overall strategy work? (small groups, large group, leadership structure, etc...)

These questions will just get you started. Don't stop questioning what you are doing. Every year I examine what we have done the previous year and how well that worked. I usually do this in the spring so I have time to make the necessary changes before the fall arrives. There is no perfect model and you can always make changes that will help you be more effective.

Learning to be a General Contractor

I love students, I love God, and I love to teach and preach. I am not an organizer, or a detail oriented person. My guess is you may fall into this category or one similar. If you are like me you would like to have a large ministry, not for the sake of being large, but for the sake of growing the kingdom of God. No matter how large or small your group is, it is always important to build toward the next level.

One of my biggest struggles is feeling like I am not working hard enough if I am not hands on. This is a constant battle. It is often this very thing that keeps ministries from growing. In construction terms I sometimes feel guilty for being the general contractor. The general contractor might not screw on drywall, frame, do the electrical or plumbing, but without the general contractor none of those things happen. In youth ministry the same concept is true. In order for my ministry to grow I need to become the general contractor, I need to learn how to be a good manager of resources putting everything into place so that more ministry can be done.

Finding the right people with the right skills and helping them help you help students is a huge part of what youth ministry is all about. (Ya, I had to read that five times after I wrote it, but it does make sense!!) No matter how hard this is for me or how guilty I feel, I have to continue to strive to accomplish this for the sake of God's kingdom and my sanity. I must keep telling myself that this is what is best for the kingdom of God and for me.

Retreat Mussings

This weekend I was in Ohio speaking at a retreat. I was at some old school that is being turned into a youth center(www.soncenter.org). My phone didn't work, there was no way to check my email, and it was freezing cold even inside the building. I am not complaining, it was great. Actually it was good for me not to be so "connected" all the time. Over the weekend I was reminded of several things:

• Those who give their time and money to minister to students are amazing people.

I made some new friends this weekend!! The youth pastors and workers who were there were amazing people. They were servants who gave up sleeping at home in a nice bed for a weekend of freezing (even inside) and sleeping with a bunch of high school students. I would be hard pressed to find higher quality people anywhere.

• Youth pastors are more often than not passionate and qualified people who are sacrificing much in order to do what they love.

The youth pastors who I spent time with love what they are doing. More than anything they want to serve God. They are not less qualified than "Senior Pastors." They are often younger, but not always. They have chosen a career that does not pay lucrative salaries (though it is much better than it used to be) and it demands odd hours along with frequent travel. Why? Because they have been given a passion by God to reach students for Christ.

• Youth ministry is difficult and tiresome work!!

Many who have not done youth ministry think it is just a bunch of games and gimmicks. They could not be further from the truth. Sure there are those who rely on such things to give the appearance of success. Good youth ministry, on the other hand, requires much more. The youth pastors I talked to this weekend were tired because they want so much more. They want students to become men and women of God. They want them to learn to follow Jesus with every aspect of their life.

As a former youth pastor and someone who loves students, I want to thank every youth worker who reads this for your efforts. I would also like to encourage you to keep it up. Galatians 6:9 reminds us to persevere with good works. Don't allow yourself to grow tired of doing them.

Understanding Adolesence

Adolescence as it is understood today is relatively new. Of course the word "understand" may be a little presumptuous. Adolescence has changed over the centuries, especially in North America. It is not only confusing for those who are going through it, but their parents, their friends, and for youth leaders.

Over the past 150 years adolescence has begun at an earlier age and ended at a later age. Boyfriends, girlfriends, and dating have taken on a new meaning (not that any of us know exactly what that meaning is). The only thing we know about cool is some have it and some don't of course that seems to change on an almost daily basis.

The question becomes how do we help students navigate this difficult time? Teaching about abstinence, peer pressure, and being willing to go against the grain are all good things. Still there may be a more simple and effective way to help these student. Perhaps instead of telling them what they should and shouldn't do we should give them an anchor.

Jesus Christ is the anchor. Students who stay attached to the anchor will never wonder too far away. Hebrews 12:1-2 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. ² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish."


As leaders who work with youth we must not forget that the best thing we have to offer is not our wisdom about sex, drugs, or avoiding the peer pressure . The best thing we have to offer is Christ himself, the gospel story. If we remember this we will do well, if we get sidetracked (which is easy to do) we will not be serving the best interests of the students or the kingdom of God. We need to stay focused.

Is There a Place for Students in Your Church?

Mark Yaconelli in his book Youth Ministry: A Contemplative Approach said, "If we are to keep young people involved in the church and if we are to renew our congregations, we first must acknowledge that many of our current forms of youth ministry are destructive"

There are many difficulties when it comes to church ministry, and this is one of them. Different churches respond in different ways to teenagers. Some look down on them. They think they are incapable of being responsible or doing a good job. Others value them highly but are not interested in putting in the effort to help them become contributing members of God's family. Still there is another group of churches that value them and are willing to help them become Godly men and women who contribute to the kingdom of God.

It is easy to see which of the previous three types of churches is the best, the question is which one is your church? I would suggest really reflecting on this for a while, on the surface your church may look like one and actually be another type when examined. Here are some characteristics of a church that seeks to be the third option:

• Students are encouraged to be involved in ministry of all kinds.
• The thought of depending on the likes of a teenager to get something done may be scary, but not scary enough that it is not done.
• Students are not turned away from ministries where they may have talents simply because of their age. An example of this would be worship teams. Some students are very gifted, but some adults are intimidated by someone younger doing a better job.
• Does your church allow students to use equipment that may be valuable? (sometimes it is appropriate to put limits on this kind of thing, but some churches don't even trust the youth pastor)
• When one student makes a mistake (especially a significant one) is judgement placed on the entire program or ministry?
• Is failure by students expected and looked at as an opportunity for growth?
• Are the ministries students can be involved with limited to ministry with children or their own age group?

Evaluating this is not an exact science. There may be very good reason for some limitations. Still if we want students to believe they are valued and the church is interested in them then we need to communicate that message. This is one of the most difficult parts of student ministries. If we want students to graduate from High School but not from their faith it is important to show them there is a place for them in the church.

It may be the case that youth ministry has, at times, been its own worst enemy in this area (breaking things and not being responsible). This is one of the most difficult cultures to change in the church. I have tried at the churches I have ministered in to varying degrees of success. I don't know what it will take in your situation to make this a positive in your church, but it is important. I might suggest starting with the Senior Pastor.