You might look at the title of this post, and think, “Really?” Well, I want to share a quick bit of advice from me to you on how to ruin your student ministry?
I have seen this happen in senior pastors and student pastors, and it is really starting to bug me, and I wish that we church leaders would just GET IT. Do not change things right away! If you are going into a new ministry, the last thing you need to do is change things to fit you right away. Now, I understand that every ministry will be different. Every ministry will eventually reflect their leadership, but we must understand who we are ministering too. People naturally do not like change! They just don’t. Therefore, we must be sensitive to this. I hate the saying, “This is the way that we have always done it.” If you do it the way you have always done it, you will get what you have always gotten. I understand that, but you must get the trust of the people first. Spend time getting to know the people for the first year of your ministry. Get to know the parents, students, and leaders before you throw in any of your major ideas regardless of how good they might be.
I have seen change that happens to abruptly split churches, so take heed to this, and try not to change things to quick!
