Being a youth worker is a lot like being a construction worker; to be effective you need an understanding of the task at hand and the right tools for the job. One without the other leads to frustration, incompetence…or both! And sense we all want fulfilled and fruitful people on our team, we need to become Jedis (remember, no Lone Rangers…but Jedis welcome!) at the second phase of the team building process; equipping our teammates.
Enlisting, Equipping, Empowering & Encouraging
Remember, youth ministry is like construction work and your team needs both an understanding of the task at hand AND the right tools for the job!
An Understanding Of The Task At Hand:
– Talk to them about your youth ministry philosophy, strategy, paradigm.
– Help them understand teen culture.
– Share the youth ministry calendar with them and explain why your ministry. does the things it does.
The Right Tools For The Job:
– An understanding of adolescent development.
– The ability to ask open-ended questions.
– The willingness to be good, active, listeners.
– Proper training for the various roles in your ministry.
– A clear understanding of your church’s safety/integrity policies.
– The list could literally go on and on and on! In short, it’s almost impossible to over-equip your team! Don’t leave it to chance. Don’t assume leaders know what to do, when to do it and why it needs to be done!
People leave youth ministry all the time. They usually leave for pretty good reasons; some you can address and some you can’t. A youth ministry volunteer leaving out of frustration because he/she doesn’t feel equipped for the task at hand is a pretty good reason to leave! But it’s an avoidable one, and there is no good reason for them not to feel equipped.
And like the enlisting stage, the equipping stage is an ongoing one. Your Jedi skills will always be in demand here, my young apprentice.
Okay, last line was dorky…but you get the point!