4. Create an environment where your ministry is a joint venture of your family.
Share your ministry burden with your family as much as possible. It won’t encumber them; it will embolden them. Share your ministry vision with family members. The goal is to have your spouse and kids see your ministry efforts as y’alls, not yours. (I make no apologies for my Southern-ese!)
We get this wrong, a lot of times with good intention. We shelter and protect our families. And at times they need to be protected. But often we just isolate them from the work we’re doing, which leads to strife.
I’m not talking about giving you an excuse to carry your work home. You need time as a family where your vocational ministry is the last thing you talk or think about. But including your family in your ministry is invaluable.
5. Remember what you do and why you do it.
At times we’re all tired. Maybe you’re in a season of tiredness. You’re dealing with so many external, nonessential challenges. It’s easy to forget what it is you do. It’s easy to forget that you’re not a glorified event planner for 12- to 18-year-olds in the congregation. You’re not just a camp counselor or travel agent.
Remember this about your ministry: God has work that needs to get done, and He turned to you. What is this work? God has called you to be one of the people who leads His children to know Him better. And these are real people, at specific times in their lives.
God tapped you to shepherd these kids. Our students have a hunger. Let your deep passion for seeing them know God more be what helps satisfy that hunger.
I hope these five challenges for leaders help you think about youth ministry a bit differently today.
