If you’ve been reading this blog for any amount of time you know I am an avid sports fan. I love college football, pro football and will watch a little basketball, at times. The rest of the sports are kind of in the background while I fold the laundry but I am always listening for a nugget of truth that is going to advance advance/prolong a young youth pastors career and sustain/encourage the veteran youth workers.
Todays wisdom comes from one day Hall of Fame inductee, super bowl champ and 5 time MVP Aaron Rogers. Aaron was speaking on the subject of longevity and players wasting their opportunities in the NFL and he had this to say, and I paraphrase,
What people and players don’t understand is that there is a game within the game.
If you are an average player, playing the game within the game, you can have a decent little career
If you’re a good player, you can have a long career.
If you’re a great player you can have a hall of fame, transcendent career
Aaron then breaks down what he means by the game within the game, and I paraphrase,
It comes down to four things, along with talent, ability and production.
Three of these are team rules (Jets, and some others) and one is one I added. These are keys to sticking around the league.
Rule #1 Put the team first, this involves humility, it’s not about you
Rule #2 No excuses, no complaining
Rule #3 Be on time, be prepared
Rule #4 Be a good teammate
I’ve seen guys get cut by not following these rules
If you are a discerning youth pastor, you can read between the lines and know what Aaron is talking about. If you are a little green and don’t know how this applies to your longevity in youth ministry, let this 30 year youth ministry veteran break it down.
Note: My average stay at a church was 3.1 years. My longest stay in a church was 8 years. At the time of this post I am about to hit year 3 in my current church. I am by no means perfect, I was let go from 2 churches and one was my fault (I broke rules 1, I’ll explain in a minute) and the other was not.
Rule 1: Prioritize the Team, Not Yourself
This is not prioritizing the church over your family. Your family is your team, the church is your job. Always prioritize your family.
No, the competition is between the church and your hobbies, your laziness and your procrastination. Sitting in your office watching TikTok videos instead of working on your message, finding new ways to do outreach, connecting with parents and students and building relationships in the community is what will shorten your youth ministry career at your church and maybe overall.
Note: Remember the church that fired me? That was my fault? It’s because I did not buy in all way. I had my own ideas. Their values were not my values.
My guess is you have 10 things you need to do 3 are urgent, 5 are important and 2 are unessential. Fail to plan and you plan to fail.
Aaron Roger later says, and I paraphrase,
I suggest these young player find a mentor, a seasoned or retired quarterback who you can ask to pick their brain, watch film or ask question about how to schedule time etc. The fun of legacy is passing it on to the next generation.
This is where a mentor or coach could help you stay accountable. I love coaching youth pastors and watching them succeed.That’s my fun. I’d love to see you have a long stay in ministry, but it will take work. Let me know if I can help you and if you are willing to put in the work.
Rule 2: Embrace a Positive Attitude and Shut Up
They say the squeaky wheel gets the oil. That true, but those wheels can also be replaced and there are plenty of spares. It’s ok to speak up or go to your supervisor to express a need you have a problem but it’s not ok, for example to post your displeasure online.
I saw a pastor get fired for complaining about his congregation online. Rookie mistake. I got called on the carpet because I made joke/snide comment about the secretary and her need for my receipts.
Complain to people out of state, never to someone in the congregation or to another staff member. The tides are always turning and you could get burned. I’ve been there. Give your spouse a break. Pour out your complaint to God, psalms is filled with them. Pick one or 3 and read them out loud.
I am not saying you don’t bring up issues or deny reality, just make sure those complaints are approached properly and handled by the right people.
Rule 3: Be Reliable and Prepared
My father-in-law was a football coach for many years. He believed in Lombardi time, a rule established by the great Green Bay Packer’s coach, Vince Lombardi. The rule was, always be 15 minutes early to every meeting.
To be on time was to be late. To show up early was to be on time.
You may not think time is a big deal, but I assure you, it is a big deal to your pastor. Being late, or on time or even later is disrespectful to the rest of the team and your leader. Besides, being 15 minutes may give that extra time you have been wanting to connect with your pastor.
Tip: Take notes in your meeting. Use a pad and pen if your phone or ipad will be a distraction.
A word about meeting/message prep.
- If you are new to ministry, eliminate the word “winging it” from your vocabulary. You ain’t there yet.
- If you have some experience, don’t say, “I’ll just let the Spirit lead”
Both of these are cop outs because you didn’t prioritize studying. When you walk into that youth room you should have a Word on your lips from God and a plan to minister to students.
If you need help with this, check out My Youth Meeting Playbook to get you started
Rule 4: Show up for your team
One of the reasons I’ve been able to stay in youth ministry as long as I have is because I never screwed other people over and I showed up for my team.
Kids ministry needs me? I’m there.
You need me to make a hospital visit? Got it.
Drive the senior citizens group to lunch? No problem.
Was I happy all the time about it? No, but I’m a team guy not a me guy. Me guys get booted (see side note under Rule #1)
Team can apply to your church staff, your volunteer team or your students.
Are you a team guy/girl or a me guy/girl?
If you phone it in people will no, just like you can tell that a line backer is going through the motions to get to the quarterback.
My hope is you will find a way to integrate these rules into your daily routine so you can can have a long-ish tenure in your church and, potentially, a long career working with students.
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