working together to navigate youth ministry well through relationships—where every teenager matters…….

- by Beth Seversen

I love starting something from nothing. It must be that part of God’s image I bear that I “get.” Conceptualizing something strategic for the Kingdom of God, researching who’s done it and how, gathering a team around an idea, dreaming about it together and then seeing it come into being, I love it all. From beginning to completion—it energizes me— especially if I’m doing it with someone.

That’s the part I didn’t “get” for awhile. That doing it alone depletes me. Worse, it’s boring! But if I can share an idea with friends and find collaborators who will get on board, then I’m all over it.

Starting something new requires lots of creativity and energy. It’s much easier to be creative and to find energy when working in community. When we’re all doing our different parts yet empowering one another as we share ideas, listen, encourage, evaluate and integrate, we become each other’s catalysts. The result? It’s even better than if we’d done it all by ourselves because we’ve connected, and learned and grown from the Spirit’s working and whispering through each member of the team.

The same is true for students. Our youth ministry changed up “confirmation” recently. We took responsibilities off the student and put them on a mentor couple and a small group of confirmands. What a difference it made; shifting from the one to the many was huge!  An “old thing” was “made new.” Individuals let go of the stress of memory work, service and mission and enjoyed these, the same previous stressors, in the context of a dynamic small group. Ownership moved from the student to the community of mentors and group of students. Confirmation went from dullsville to vibrant, fun, meaningful, exciting and relevant. You get the idea.  The ministry impact was reversed from depleted to energetic!

What’s the new thing you plan to start this next season of youth ministry? Who will you invite to join you? I was challenged when I recently read in Christian Schwarz’s, Natural Church Development, that a leader multiplies his or her ministry when he or she grows another leader, not a follower (Schwarz, 1998, p. 68). Another reason not to go it alone! Recruit a team to help you, build into them, and soon you’ll have multiplied yourself and have grown leaders who “get” it, all while being energized by the many.

Beth Seversen