I was recently talking with a youth leader who was sharing stories with me from his youth ministry journey. As he shared, he recounted various memories from his over 30 years of ministry—at the same church!
30 years. One church.
I‘ve served as a youth leader in three difference churches, one year at my first church, five years at my second church, and, years later, three years at another church. I was in awe of his 30-year run in youth ministry. I could barely believe his lifelong investment in one church.
Staying in youth ministry for 30 years is a testament in and of itself. But 30 years at the same church? I don’t know if I’ve met another youth leader in my 25 years of ministry leadership that has that type of run. And his reality stands in stark contrast to so many other stories I’ve heard that sound more like my career in youth ministry. Some people say that the average stay of a youth leader at their church is around 18 to 24 months. In some circles I’ve heard of longer averages, but not by much.
Here’s the reality of youth ministry: We have teens from middle school to high school, about six or seven years. (See what I did there.) But if the average stay of a youth leader is anywhere close to being true, then the typical student who goes through youth ministry at the typical church could have three youth leaders. My son (a senior in high school) has had five.
So, what does it take to make it for the long haul and turn the tide of the average stay at a church in youth ministry? Here are a five traits I’ve observed from youth leaders who last and thrive over the years. Enduring leaders:
Depend on the Holy Spirit.
You can build a crowd through creativity, attract students with fun events, and improve your teaching skills and leadership abilities. But only the Holy Spirit can bring a spiritually dead teen to life.
The youth leaders who last understand it’s not all about them. They’re in relationship with the Spirit of God seeking Him every step of the way.
Burnout often comes when we act out of a savior complex instead of being students to the Savior. The pressure is off when you remember that Jesus is the Savior and the Holy Spirit is the One who transforms lives.
Live for a mission bigger than themselves.
Youth leaders who stay for decades don’t stick around because of a title, a platform, a social media following, or a paycheck. They stay because they are committed to the ministry and message of reconciliation.
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
This kind of leader believes that every teen deserves a chance to hear and respond to the Gospel and students can become missionaries right now where they are.
That’s why we are so passionate about Gospel Advancing ministry here at Dare 2 Share. We want to see every youth leader prioritize the Gospel, evangelism training, and student mobilization in their groups so that they make disciples who make disciples.
This brings us to our next lesson.
Build a Gospel Advancing culture, not just a program.
Programs come and go. Pop culture changes with the seasons. But a Gospel Advancing culture lasts. In fact, it’s lasted for over 2,000 years.
The youth leader who sticks around for the long haul focuses on equipping students to share the Gospel and make disciples wherever they go. Instead of asking, “How can we fill the room?” they ask, “How can we equip the students we already have in the room to reach their friends with the Gospel?”
That shift changes everything, moving students from being attendees to being activated and changing youth ministries into youth movements. It gives youth leaders something worthy investing years, even decades, into.
Stay long enough to see disciples make disciples.
One reason youth leaders tap out too early is they expect to see immediate results. I’ve heard it said that we overestimate what we can do in two years but we underestimate what God can do in 10 years.
It takes time. But over time, we see young disciples reach their friends with the Gospel, grow in their faith together, and reach more friends with the Gospel, and on and on.
Many leaders leave before they witness the second, third, and fourth generation impact growing from years of faithful disciple making.
The harvest is often on the other side of perseverance.
Run with other Gospel Advancing leaders.
Every youth leader needs a band of brothers and sisters who are running on the same mission. That’s one reason I love youth ministry networks. We need other leaders in our lives who challenge us, encourage us, pray with us and for us, and remind us why we do what we do.
When you’re surrounded by other who are passionate and dedicated to Gospel Advancing, your faith grows, and so does your tenure in youth ministry.
If you want to connect with like-minded youth leaders, we’d love to help.
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Another great way to get involved in the Gospel Advancing community is to be a part of the Energize Youth Ministry Conference in Chicago, Illinois, on April 22–24. You will meet hundreds of other youth leaders who are giving their all to youth ministry and figuring out the best ways to implement Gospel Advancing into their contexts. We’d love to see you there!
