Navigating Long-Term Ministry

Recently, I had the privilege of attending the wedding of one of my former students. When I came to my current church as their new Family Pastor, she was an eighth grader who was full of life and faith; her name was Georgia. She was the type of girl you could build a youth group around. She could and would talk your ears off if you let her. It was easy to be her youth pastor. She faithfully dug into God’s Word and truly wanted to know what it had to say about life. Time passed, and four years later, she was entering her senior year of high school without a father. Georgia’s father had been killed in a freak mountain bike accident. Georgia, her mom, and two younger brothers struggled through a season, but God gave them the strength to move forward. After graduating her last year in high school, Georgia attended Ouachita Baptist University, graduated, and then got engaged to her college sweetheart. If I had only stayed at Calvary for a couple of years, I would have missed out on watching God work through Georgia’s story. God allowed me to be a part of her faith journey and love on her family through the good and bad. I count it as a great honor and thank God for what a long-term ministry can be. 

Whether you are full-time, bi-vocational, or volunteer in student ministry, we all need to understand how powerful it can be to stick around. Our ministry of presence gives us the privilege of speaking truth into all of those moments throughout a lifetime of following Christ.

How do we have long-term ministries? Isn’t that a decision for God alone? I am convinced that many youth pastors often move from ministry to ministry too quickly. We think that the grass is greener at that other church. We look at the resources that they have and dream of all the ways that you could utilize them for the Kingdom. You also might think that a bigger paycheck is just a couple of moves away. While we may be thinking all or some of those things, we need to know that God wants us to come alongside students and families for more than two years at a time. His desire for us is to give our lives to His people. So, how do we navigate that desire to stay? How do we increase the likelihood of a long and healthy ministry at our church? Here are some thoughts I’d like to share with you from my experiences in student ministry…

1.     Pray for a long-term ministry. 

Ask God to help you make wise decisions in the early years of ministry at your church, so that the long-term can happen. We will often jump in with guns blazing and push too hard. We want to make changes and put our mark on the ministry. Pray that God will give you patience and a genuine love for the people. Pray that you can experience life with these precious people. Be present with them; whether that’s on the ball field or the hospital room, not just when they’re at church.

2.     Work on your relationship with your lead pastor. 

It is important to spend time getting to know your pastor and helping him fulfill the vision for the church that God is leading him in. You don’t have to be fishing or golf buddies, but it is important to let him know that he has a partner in the ministry at your church. Let him know that you are praying for him and his family. Offer to take him out to lunch. Send cards for birthdays and anniversaries. Little things like this will go a long way towards a healthier relationship with your senior pastor.  

3.     Study and work on your own understanding of God. 

Why is this important? We can learn a few good tricks in ministry and then repeat them, hoping for the same results. Then, we move on to a new congregation and repeat the process. God wants us to continually grow so that we won’t be known as just a one-trick pony. That takes an intentional mindset. We must choose to grow and look for opportunities to expand our knowledge of God, His Word, and His Ministry. That means that you might have to start reading more. It might mean asking your church to send you to a conference. It might even mean going back to school. The main thing is to be intentional. Jack Courtney, former director of the Baptist Missionary Association of American Interstate Missions, told me once, “You can chop more wood with a sharp axe.” Train, study, and grow so that you can stick around longer.

4.     Pray for your students and families. 

Among other things, prayer shows how much we care about our people. If we love them, we will be lifting them before the Father. That needs to be a part of our pattern in this life. Whether you are serving students or adults, we should pray without ceasing for the men and women that God has placed under our watch. This isn’t always easy. Some of the hardest people in the church for a youth pastor to work with are the parents. They love and care for their kids and want the best, but that mindset can sometimes get in the way of where you are trying to lead students. So, we should be praying for the moms, dads, and other people that your students live with.  And, as you pray for them, God will grow your love for them. Don’t be afraid to call up at least a couple families each week and ask how you can pray for them.  

5.     Wait to go to another ministry until you feel the pull and push of ministry change. 

Sometimes, we will have someone call us up and ask us to come in “view of a call.” That is simply a churchy way of saying, “Will you come and consider joining our staff and ministry?” That can be a bit exciting as you feel loved and appreciated. The other side of ministry change stems from our own hearts. We might just be ready to leave. When those two things coincide, we should take notice and start praying. Over the years, I have received invitations to consider other churches, but most of the time, I have simply said, “No. Thank you.” You don’t have to have a conversation or even make a visit. There is no unwritten rule about it. Understand that you may even want to move on, but it needs to be in God’s timing and as a part of His plan. When you start feeling the pull of another ministry and a push from where you are at, that is the time to consider a change. Even that is not a 100% reason to check out a new place, those decisions should be covered in prayer.

6.     Be wise. 

We will make mistakes as we serve in churches. However, we must make wise decisions. Choosing to do something without thinking it through is thoughtless. Don’t do that. Seek wise counsel. Look for local networks of other youth pastors to connect with. If there are none near you, consider joining an online community, like the cohorts with Shaping Student Ministry! Dive into God’s Word. Make choices on a daily basis that honor God and His people. In general, don’t be stupid. Embrace God’s wisdom.

I love hearing about youth pastors and student ministry volunteers who have given their lives in one church. At 53, I know that I am often the oldest student ministry worker in the room. I have been at Calvary for almost 10 years and spent 9 years at the church before my current one. My goal is always long-term ministry. I hope that it is yours as well. Let’s choose to serve God and His people for a lifetime and strive for long-term ministries. If I can offer any advice or counsel, you’re welcome to reach out to me at dan@calvaryfayetteville.com 

Questions to Consider:

1.     Can I see myself serving at my current church for at least 5 years or more? Why or why not?

2.     Am I making sure I put down roots in my church and in my community? What does that look like for me (and for my family)?

3.     What are some ways that I can deepen my knowledge and be prepared for a whole new generation of students as they are being born today?

4.     Am I practicing a spirit of contentment in what (and where) God has called me? Consider writing down a list of reasons you’re thankful to serve where you are.