I decided this was the day. The day I would get rid of all that old youth ministry stuff that I have collected for 20 years. It was time to say goodbye to 17 (yes 17) binders of information, forms, messages, and other youth ministry trinkets. It was fun back then, but I don’t live there anymore and neither do the students I minister to today. Heck, the world I lived in does not exist today.
As I sifted though through binders and folders I found typed, yes typed, like on a type writer, messages and forms. I caught the title of a few , flashed a grin back at them, and in the trash it went. I was merciless. But why so brutal?
As a 44 year old youth pastor I have been able to watch the evolution of student ministry as did those before me witnessed. The past is funny thing, it can comfort you and it can kill you all at the same time. I had to make peace with the past before it became the enemy of my future. Here are three ways we can make peace and move on to the future God has for us.
Make peace with your past successes
Good is enemy of the best. Past successes are great, but our kids don’t care about those. As much as we try to tell them, “Hey! I’ve been around!” They just want to know that we care about them, right now. Think about those kids, student leaders, etc. from your past that you treasure in your heart. You worked to get there. You put the time in. Don’t look back and ask why you can’t have that again. Get back to work. Put in the time and three years you’ll have what you want, again.
Make peace with your past messages
We can look back and see all the cool messages we preached, the great illustrations, and some may even be timeless and reusable, but don’t give in to that temptation to bring them back. Messages can be tiny idols we keep in our pocket and while Moses turns his back we pull them out and dance around them. I avoid certain weeks of camp because I know certain speakers will pull a message out of their Summer Messages folder and pretend it’s new. It’s sad. Let’s get on our knees once again and ask God for fresh bread that He has already baked for us.
Make peace with your past programming
The old adage “If you continue to do what you have always done, you will always have what you’ve always had” is true. I have tried to pull old tricks out of my hat in every ministry I have had and I have had to eat dirt every time. Kids know when we are trying to sell them on something we used to do. I think students think it’s insulting. We can get offended when kids baulk at our idea or we can recognize that these kids don’t want to be treated like our old youth group. Embrace who they are and change your style to fit them.
**Note: I am talking about pre-set programs not principles. Principles are transferrable some programs are.
I cleared my physical shelves and my metaphorical shelves. I made room for new successes, new messages, new revelations, and new ideas for reaching kids for Christ. Come along aged warriors, remember the past and smile, but look to the future and rejoice. Our best days are ahead.
Did I miss anything? Are you over 40 and found that you had to make peace with something like education, old wounds, etc. What else could we add to this list?