One of my passions in life is to see youth leaders succeed. I mean REALLY succeed. These men and women who have dedicated their lives to reaching and discipling young people are facing tough odds. From apathetic teenagers, to disengaged parents, to unsympathetic elder boards, to shrinking budgets, to a ticked off army of demons, youth leaders are up against some intense opposition.
Cultivating these 10 habits will help youth leaders improvise, adapt and overcome.
1. Spend an inordinate amount of time in prayer.
“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:16
If Jesus was always escaping ministry opportunities to pray, then we should too! We should pray prayers of intercession for our teenagers, families and the people we are seeking to reach with the gospel. We should spend time in prayers of supplication begging God to supply our needs. We should pray prayers of thanksgiving and offer prayers of confession.
In youth ministry praying power is staying power. And if you want to make a maximum impact in your youth ministry stay then drench it in an inordinate amount of prayer. Look at it as a key part of your job description…because it should be!
2. Work out, eat healthy, drink water and get sleep.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own….” 1 Corinthians 6:19
You only have one body and it is on loan to you from God. You should steward it like you would your job, a bank account or your lawn. In other words we should be taking care of our bodies because it brings glory to God. But we should also take care of them because the degree of our physical health will determine the degree of our ministry stamina.
In my late 20s I was a fat man. I had knee surgery and never completed my rehab. I walked with a limp but ate with a forklift. Every day I was tired and needed to take what I jokingly called “my fat nap.” But, through a series of events, I finally decided that enough was enough. I began to work out, eat healthy, get good sleep and drink more water.
Today, although I’m not going to compete in any marathons or CrossFit competitions, I’m relatively healthy. Although I’m 51 years old, I’m in much better shape now than I was when I was 28 years old.
By the way, there’s no magic pill to getting in shape. It’s just eating right, working out and taking care of yourself. Get into this habit and you’ll feel much better and be able to endure the stresses of ministry much more effectively.
3. Give the Gospel in every talk.
“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2
If you want to see results when it comes to reaching teenagers with the gospel, then give the gospel in every one of your youth group talks. When you do, three things will happen:
First of all teenagers will come to Christ. The gospel is “the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). It’s like a grenade. Pull the pin and it will explode. Souls will be saved and lives will be changed.
Secondly, your teenagers will start inviting more friends out to youth group. Once teenagers know that you are going to give the gospel every week, they will be less hesitant to invite their yet-to-believe friends out to hear you.
Thirdly, your teenagers will be “gospelized.” They will begin to understand that the same gospel that saves the lost also sanctified the believer. Hearing the gospel relentlessly reminds us how desperately we continue to need Jesus once we are saved. We never get over our need to hear and apply the gospel message to our lives.
