Youth Ministry chaos is a lot of fun when it’s game time or even hangout time, but chaos is not fun when applied to organizing your youth ministry. There are two extremes in youth ministry calendars. One looks like this,
This is calendar is too busy and busy is not better. Busy means you may have a lot going on, but all these events and activities may not be leading you where you want to go. Busy does not mean fruitful. Busy does mot mean growth. Busy is just busy which eventually leads to frustration and burn out.
Then there is the other calendar
This is the calendar youth workers stare at for hours wondering what they should even put on there. Some call this analysis paralysis. You don’t know what will work and you’re afraid of failure, so you plan very little.
So, what’s the balance? What does an “in order” youth ministry look like. Where chaos can blind you to your real goals, order makes your goals clearer. Let me offer three signs of an orderly youth ministry.
Your youth ministry has a clear goal for existing
If you do not know why your youth ministry exists, no one else is goin to tell you. All yes are on the leader to lead and to know why something is being done. You must communicate the “why” as simply and clearly as possible so others can join you in fulfilling the why or not.
The majority of people, parents, pastors students, agree with the “why” your youth ministry exists.
This is important because if you do not have alignment within your spheres of influence it will be a long haul, up hill. Everyone does not have to agree, but you need a consensus to move forward.
Your calendar reflects your why
If your calendar does not reflect your “why”, why have a “why” in the first place. If you have a goal to fulfill why you exists, then your calendar acts as the canvas to paint the vision you see. Open to interpretation is great for abstract art but a terrible way to communicate one’s vision.
“Why” is the baseline going forward
Anyone who joins your team must know they are there to fulfill the vision of the youth ministry. Everything you teach them in a staff/volunteer meeting goes back to “why”. Getting sidetracked with random things will only confuse your new and potentially long term leaders. Stay on message and teach accordingly.
Order, to me, in the world of youth ministry means to create events and programs that make disciples of Jesus. My hope is, this is your “why” and anything that would mess that up does not make it onto your calendar. Community, Evangelism, Camp and midweek meetings are all tactics, the strategy is discipleship.
If you would like a tool that will help flesh out your goals and find your “why”, I did a livestream for my newest resource My Youth Ministry Playbook. You can click here to purchase it.