A youth pastor can always use some improvement. I don’t mean this as a knock against the field of youth ministry. But personally and individually, we all know where we are weakest. (Bonus tip: If you don’t, become a better youth pastor by figuring out your strengths and weaknesses.)
One suggestion you’ll almost always see is “reading your Bible more.” That couldn’t be more true. Connecting with God through both the Scriptures and prayer is definitely the best thing you can do for your ministry.
But I believe we can do other things to step up our game. So here are three things that lead to a better youth pastor (and thus a better youth ministry).
3 Tips for Every Youth Pastor
1. Read more blogs.
The times I’ve learned the most involve reading lots of blogs. I love to read about what other youth ministries are doing. That can spark creativity in myself, whether it gets me thinking about an event or our particular context. I’ve also grown from the online community of bloggers. I love how “strangers” can text one another and really pray with each other.
I also believe that writing a blog leads to growth. Even if no one reads it, forcing yourself to write out why you do the things you do in youth ministry really sparks growth. Only a handful of people read my weekend-in-review posts. But I don’t write those for others. I write those for myself, and I love it.