I grew up in Minneapolis, MN.
Minnesota winters are bad. Just imagine walking outside in the middle of January with – 15 degrees and 3 feet of snow. I had to learn how to successfully drive in snow and ice storms. In order to survive you have to learn the tricks and tips on how to be a great driver during the brutal months of winter.
One of the things all Minnesota drives must avoid is getting stuck in snow. Getting stuck in the snow is a very common. How do you learn how to get unstuck from the snow? First, you have to get stuck. Once you’re stuck, you learn the right maneuvers to get your car unstuck. The same thing applies to youth ministry. You have to get stuck in order to know how to get unstuck.
The youth ministry is all about rhythmic ups and downs through the calendar year. Times that display much effectiveness while other times where you feel this sense of stuckness.
Youth ministry fall kick offs generate a lot of momentum, but when January and February hits, attendance levels tend to stall out while passion in leadership, parents and students engagement fades. Most youth pastors feel as though during the winter months they are stuck like how most Minnesota drivers find themselves stuck in a snow bank wondering how on earth they are going to get unstuck.
The reality is being stuck is not a bad thing at all. In fact it’s a positive thing. But most see it as a negative thing.
With my work at Orange, I get asked one central question – What are the best student ministries around the country doing? The answer is: the best youth ministries know how to unstuck time again and again and again.
If you’re stuck (or, you sense yourself heading that way), here are 5 ways to get unstuck?
Modify Mediocre
And, you do that by asking key questions, like:
(1) Where are we gaining momentum
(2) Where are we losing momentum?
(3) What needs to have more momentum?
These three questions encourage us to move from stuckness to effectiveness. What’s slowing your ministry down? Is it possible to locate the youth ministry’s complacency?
Download Culture DNA
There is specific DNA that God has created your youth ministry, and it is birthed in the mind and heart of the leader. How do you download the DNA?
Spend time together, read books together, and focus on the why behind the what of your youth ministry. The why speaks into your future of what your ministry is and stands for.
Expand Your Environments
Some say that after 6 weeks of a ministry start, the environment becomes invisible to us. Think about it – we only program for the amount of students that are currently attending. Our environments only accommodate the amount of students we currently have. The reality is most of us pray for growth, but a 10% or 20% spike would cram us. Can your environment , leaders, parents and students and program excellence handle twice as many people?
Embrace New Expectations
As a leader you’ve got to think differently as your ministry increases. As your youth ministry grows, the #1 thing that changes in the mind of a new student visitor is their expectations. Not only do students expect an excellence environment but so do leaders. The most valuable feedback comes from influential students who are new to our environment. So, gather a group of student leaders together and ask them a series of key questions:
- Why do you show up? Did you have fun?
- Would you ever bring your friends here?
- What are we doing well? What can we do better?
Expand your youth ministry expectations to new comers, and expect your youth ministry to grow. Essentially pastor your student ministry as if it’s twice the size.
Shift your Thinking from Family to Organization
As youth ministry leaders we must shift our thinking in 3 areas:
1. System
2. structure
3. schedules
Systems thinking creates predictability (doing the small things consistently well), accountability (someone’s butt is on the line) & reproducibility. Systems have guidelines, deadlines and butts on the line. A system is a way of doing things. Ultimately systems create behaviors.
Structure creates space for people. Structures are all about new leaders and staff to easily assimilate. Have one sentence job descriptions. Give leaders safe places to serve.
Schedules create longevity for people. Be careful that your people don’t get burned out. Get your team to move from doers to leaders. And for yourself do not get the homework at the end of the meeting, your team does.
To keep moving your youth ministry in a better direction you need clear steps in order to get unstuck. Don’t be afraid of being stuck. Rather, lean into your stuckness. Because in your stuckness you will be able to clearly be able to identify and clarify your youth ministry’s future effectiveness.
