An Old Guy’s Advice for Strategic Ministry
After 25 years of youth ministry and watching my peers chasing popular models, I began to look back to see what I bumbled into that could be considered success. The result is an old guy’s advice for strategic ministry.
Strategic Management teaches that strategy drives structure. One of the flaws that changing models every couple of years generates is a lack of strategic direction. This lack means that the ministry is constantly being restructured, leaving stakeholders (parents, students, church members, staff) confused and questioning. Doing youth ministry means that questions will be generated, as leaders try to balance entertainment, relevant engagement, and spiritual challenge. So, in the interest of reducing questions and increasing stability, I present principles that apply no matter the model or situation.
Because we work with minors, there is a need for absolute integrity that crosses the boundaries between workplace, personal life, and even spouse. I address that need for integrity with Voluntary Accountability. Especially in churches where there was no objective management system in place, I disciplined myself to be voluntarily accountable. Very quickly in my first ministry role I learned the necessity of retaining a task list and activity log for my own protection. It was as simple as a half sheet of paper every week that showed phone calls, personal conversations, and completed tasks. I archive it, copied it, and turned it in – even when I knew my supervisor just threw it in the trash.
Voluntary Accountability Offers Protection – The kind of person who would go to the trouble to keep accurate records and be voluntarily accountable would not be the kind of person this accusation would be true about. Much of youth ministry is subjective; the initiative to Voluntary Accountability provides an objective means of evaluation. When called into question, the honest lay people in the church will respect the accountability.
Voluntary Accountability Resists Manipulation – When faced with unrealistic or distracting demands from Machiavellian leadership, someone who is practicing Voluntary Accountability can respond, “Here is my plan. Here is my schedule. What are you not pleased with? What do you want to change?”
Voluntary Accountability Has The Spouse As An Ally – The spouse doesn’t have to know details of meetings, but knowing whom you are with and where you are meeting is helpful. Further, the spouse can be sensitive about motives, and add perspective in understanding people and situations. Finally, your spouse keeps you honest – he or she had better be the one that is willing to call you down when you are slinging bull.
The essence of strategy is planning. Youth ministers are notorious for appearing to bump along, having fun and being spontaneous. While that appeals to a certain set of students, it fails to produce long-term results, tends to alienate parents, and neglects many student needs. Since strategy drives structure, the discipline of quality planning will result in a long-term strategy that achieves significant milestones in student’s spiritual growth. Further, the resulting structure will establish a ministry that lasts beyond a bag of tricks, beyond the wave of a popular model, and even beyond the life of the existing youth minister. Quality planning lends an intentionality that overcomes the stereotypes and establishes a reliability that pleases parents and assures that students do not get neglected.
Quality Planning Begins With A Set Of Planning Tools – My preference in planning tools is a big marker board. To that I add an erasable wall calendar and resources like local school calendars or even team and performance schedules. The final tool is one I honed over time: skill at brainstorming and organizing. My caution lies in electronic tools – make sure they are perceived as for management and not entertainment. Don’t allow the tool to distract from ministry.
Quality Planning Means Written Detail – I don’t know where I originally stole the idea, but somewhere in the early ’80’s I refined a one page Activity Planner which listed detail and logistics for every activity. I developed a rule that traveled with me from church to church: every activity or event has written information. Parents quickly learned that we have thought about what we are doing and that we will communicate schedules clearly. In the last few years, I built an annual Giant Youth Ministry Notebook with activity planners for all events. My Secretary/Receptionist had a duplicate notebook when parents called for info, or other staff had questions.
Quality Planning Helps To Grow Leaders – We began to get students involved in planning. Students started carrying their activity planner notebooks around, making contacts, enlisting parents to drive or to bring food for events, and assuring that details were covered.
Quality Planning Results In Excellent Communication – Every official activity had printed information and plenty of advance notice. This prevented little Judy from saying she was going to a lock-in when she was really going to a coed sleepover in the woods behind… well, you get my point. Often, the printed source was a weekly newsletter, though we produced flyers for big events and a three-month summer calendar. Planning, utilizing activity planners, involving students, and printed information told parents that we respected busy schedules; we coordinated with student calendars, and we weren’t just throwing in meaningless activity so we could have fun.
Quite by accident, as is true in most inventions, we began to do stuff where parents and adults in the church could see it. Instead of a gymnasium or a youth room, our church had a nice, large front lawn. It was the only space that worked for our activities, so it became our youth room. People driving by were attracted to the vibrant activity and began to bring their teens to our church. We learned that making our ministry visible in a positive way helped to communicate the value of our ministry. It also eliminated the normal criticisms leveled at youth ministry.
Visible Ministry Means Reciprocal Relationships – This Visible Ministry grew as we began to participate in church causes. Other staff would present projects or ideas and we would quickly jump on board, offering our able-bodied, bright-minded, energetic teens already trained in planning and organizing. From necessity and accident, we began reciprocal support of other ministries. When the children’s ministry experienced a massive turnover, we took on the summer children’s Bible study to give the education minister time to recover and recruit. We were actively training leadership by doing internal ministry, preparing us for external ministry. Those were visible and viewed positively by the church and community.
When the wheels get to turning, I could go on and on about various strategies attempted over the years, but I will wrap up with why these strategies are important. The goal is less administrative time so that there is more people time. When you follow these strategies you’ll be taking care of some essential responsibility – which means you’ll spend less time responding to crises and fighting battles, and have more time for relationships and leadership development.