This is the second of a pair of articles that summarize a forum of older youth workers at last autumn's National Youth Workers Convention. The first article explores the grace and divine calling felt by older youth workers that keeps them in ministry.

Like any job, ministry will give you more grumpy days than you'd ever want. Your students can be a pain; parents whine; other staffers seem to be more of a problem than a solution. So how does an over-40 youth worker know whether to hang it up or hang in there? Are there signs that alert you to leaving ministry or at least cutting back to part-time? When is enough enough?

Marie was in the meeting room along with the other forum participants. She's a 45-year-old volunteer with two children of her own—one of them in college, the other a high school sophomore in her mom's youth group (willingly!). The love of her life, she says is leading her weekly small group of high school girls, with whom she says she's very connected.

Across the room from Marie sat Todd—full-time, paid youth pastor, age 43, a wife and two kids (10 and 14). Unlike Marie, he's not having a ball in ministry. Caught between fatigue and frustration, he's having serious second thoughts about continuing his youth ministry career.

Marie's case is a no-brainer: Enjoy! Relish the time with your students!

Mark's situation is more of a dilemma: Was it really time to pull up stakes and move on to a new career? Or are there compelling reasons to stay in youth ministry, if not in his current job?

The Costs of Staying in Ministry as an Oldster

"What are the disadvantages of being an older youth worker?" I asked the middle-aged-and-still-in-ministry forum attendees. What I heard from the 140 youth workers could be summarized in six themes—ways in which aging is a liability for long-haul usefulness. If two or three of them are particularly intense for you, it may be time to reevaluate your ministry with youth and why you're doing it.

"I'm worn out. I'm tired," confessed one of the forum participants. "Constantly. Frankly," he added, "my love for the church has waned during the past few years."

Other youth workers articulated their fatigue:

• "Lock-ins wear me out. Anymore, my limit is 11 p.m."

• "Repelling and rock climbing just plain hurts."

• "My energy level isn't what it used to be."

• "I can't sleep on the floor."

• "My creativity has gone down the drain."

It was clear that many in the room felt that their drive and passion were gone, their energy depleted, and what they really wanted was a long nap now and then.

"The financial stress is driving me crazy."

No one goes into youth ministry to get rich. Still, many in the forum complained of a poor financial status, due primarily to being undercompensated by their employing church. Just about everyone could relate to economic hardships, low cost-of-living increases and few incremental raises. Many at the forum hadn't seen a raise in two years.