Student Ministries Pastor Josh Herndon Featured as Guest Blogger

GUEST POST: Youth Ministry Made From Scratch

At the beginning of the month was my first year at my first ministry position. Thirteen months ago there were no teens in the church and no youth department in place. One year later, I have some wins and losses, and some pieces of advice for those starting a youth ministry from scratch:

1. You may come in with an arsenal full of ideas, or you may be whimpering at the very thought of someone calling you “pastor”. Regardless, as you walk through those church doors in your first days, don’t talk too much. If you listen closely and ask the right questions, you can find more direction than if you arrogantly or nervously stumble through your ministry philosophy or your 12-point plan to save the world.

2. Students are not the “X Factor” in a healthy, thriving ministry; parents are. Remember, only a fraction of your students have the potential to drive, and a fraction of them have jobs. Meaning, unless all of your teenagers are within walking distance and love fundraisers, parents are still their lifelines to any formal gathering you will ever have. So spend time with parents and get to know them because when you get parents to believe in your vision and heart for their kids, they will not only support their kids being a part of the ministry but they will invest in it themselves. Don’t neglect parents; they’re your responsibility too.

3. It’s normal; you want to see results from your ministry. But watch out because wanting results in any timeframe you would consider to be fair (anytime between day one and year one) makes you do stupid things. Like a baker who bakes a pie at twice the recommended heat in half the time, you (and your students) will be engulfed in flames of failure. You cannot expect to turn up the intensity of your ministry and expect results in half the time. Relationship building is a brutally slow process. Don’t expect results for a very, very long time.

4. Starting something from scratch has a huge advantage: you don’t need to clean up someone else’s mess (instead, you can make your own). You have complete freedom to be creative and really make your ministry unique. Don’t let any program be grandfathered in because it’s what has been done. Experiment. If it doesn’t work, hit the “reset” button and try something else. You have a rare window to try something new before habits and traditions are made. Live it up.

5. Distractions are everywhere and they come in forms of what you have (lame facilities and the awkward kid no one likes) and what you wish you had (Saddleback’s “The Refinery” and super student-worship-leader at the neighboring youth group). But as a Shepherd of your flock, it’s your responsibility to cherish the students you have and not envy the ones you don’t. Challenge that student, pour into him or her, and love that one as if they alone are the reason you accepted your calling.

It’s hard work, but remember that everything from cooking to student ministries are made from scratch.

Josh Herndon is a rookie youth ministry planter in El Sobrante, CA.