This is my third post in my Secrets to A Successful Youth Ministry, you can read post #2 here
Outreach is in my blood. Before I was a full time youth pastor I had shared Christ on the streets during Mardi Gra., on the Orlando OBT strip, and on the streets of Phoenix while in School. I don’t look for confrontation but I don’t mind it either if it results in a presentation of the gospel.
Because I had already done a fair amount of faith sharing, I assumed whatever church I worked at would welcome those who did not know Christ. Boy was I wrong. I believed churches were hospitals for the sick and discovered some of them were fortresses where parents protected their kids from those “other kids”.
Most of my struggles in youth ministry came about with Pastors, parents, and students because of my love for the lost and my desire for us to BE the church (can I get an Amen!). It was those struggles that forced me to consider creating an outreach strategy.
Secret # 3 Develop An Outreach Strategy
1. Don’t Assume Your Strategy Is Wanted
My greatest and worst assumption I’ve made in youth ministry is that a group WANTS to grow and a church actually want to reach the lost. More than once I have imposed my will upon a group assuming it was “our “collective will” to reach the lost. I should have asked more questions and been more self aware.
In one youth group I served, when the attendance at an event faltered or when I couldn’t get parents or the church leadership on board, the lights came on; over half the kids I had in my group were home schooled. It’s not that they didn’t want to reach out, they couldn’t. I was blaming them for something that was not their fault.
My advice, lay aside your assumptions and listen to the rhythms of your group and plan your outreaches accordingly.
2. Have a Seasonal Strategy
Outreach, as a program model, is very tiring. I didn’t know about having seasons of ministry, I just went wide open all the time. Trying to create an outreach mindset every week was exhausting. I had to realize, as Ecclesiastes says, “there is a season for everything under heaven.”
My outreach driven mindset was killing my kids and my volunteers. My group needed rest, recharging, and a time to reflect. If we did add students, they just got folded in with the outreach blob that just kept rolling without a slow-down time to learn why were doing outreaches in the first place.
3. Integration Strategy
Peter, the Lord’s own disciple, caused quite a stir and earned a rebuke from the Apostle Paul because he didn’t want to be seen eating with Gentiles.
“But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.” Galatians 2:11-13
I assumed kids in our group wanted to reach out, build relationships, and make disciples but it became clear that I had crossed some lines by bringing in these “interlopers”, these “people” messing up our group and many had decided they didn’t want to “eat with them”. Once again, I blame myself.
Although the mindset and attitude of some of my previous students were wrong (I am pretty sure they inherited it from their parents), I was wrong for trying to force something on the them that they were not prepared in advance to do or be.
Consider these questions as you formulate an outreach strategy.
What assumptions are you making about your groups attitude towards outreach?
How will new kids or new converts fit with your group?
Do you have an outreach season and a discipleship season?
Have you taught your students how to welcome in new kids? New converts?
Click HERE to move on to Secret # 4 Building A Community Strategy