When you work with an age population who has the privilege of summer vacation it is easy to want one yourself. While our ministry changes programming and slows down we are all aware the school year is just around the corner and it is never too early to begin plotting out the big picture. There is certainly no set formula for how a youth pastor should prepare for the next school year especially given our various environments and churches but we can be encouraged and challenged by sharing ideas that work for us. Here are some steps I will be taking and have been taking over the summer weeks to prepare (in between vacations and youth trips!):
1) PRAY . . . good Sunday school answer right? I wish I could say it really was always my number one priority in planning. It should be. This is God’s ministry not mine, my church’s, my parents’ or my youth. Everything we do begins and ends with my and our leaders’ total dependence upon God to effectively shepherd this ministry.
2) PLOT out Sunday and Wednesday midweek curriculum (Don’t worry . . . this alliteration will not keep going!) – On Sunday’s we bring all our students together for worship and inductive Bible teaching. Every year we teach from one of the gospels, two books from the Old Testament and a New Testament book or two. We want our youth to be students of the Word so we start with the Word. Midweek programming is deductive (topical) in approach. These topics are influenced by questions students are asking, the popular topics needing addressed every year and subject arising from our reading and research. Having this plan gives us clear direction for the year but it is flexible built for change at any moment.
3) WORK on plans for LIFE GROUPS. We have frankly not done so well with this in past years but we are getting better. I am working harder to begin structuring some of these groups in the summer rather than waiting until school year schedules overrun us.
4) STUDY every possible schedule from September to June. In our world I look at the school district, city, church and athletic calendars. I input all these events in my master calendar and do my best to plan events and ministries around the schedules. Even after an exhaustive look at these schedules we annually get “dinged” with some major event that arises after we have made our plans. I never lack ideas for ministry opportunities but there are times when I wonder how much good it does to do advanced planning of events (other than camps or retreats). This might be a whole other discussion.
5) MEET with adult leaders and key youth to get their input on our direction for the coming school year. I want them to own this planning as well so I clearly explain the flexible nature of our schedule so they may offer ideas at any point.
6) REST . . . the summer is a great time to prepare for the school year by actually slowing down. There seems to be a lot of controversy in youth ministry circles about the pace of ministry in the summer. Some say “ramp up,” some say “stay the same,” and others say “slow down.” I say “slow down” for the sake of yourself, your family and your leaders. People ask me how I and so many of our volunteers have been in ministry for so long. I can tell you if I “ramped up” every summer for the past 30 I would have been long gone. This is a great time to take a deep breath, do a little extra reading and build relationships rather than programs.
What do you think?
[Image by: trinamita]
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Doug is going on 30 years in youth ministry at the Free Methodist Church of Santa Barbara.
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#4 is such a great reminder man – I'm so poor at that…busy looking at church schedules and network schedules that I forget to connect with the community at large and look for opportunities to serve and love…