28 March, 2024

A Simple Plan for Children”s and Youth Ministers Threatened by Burnout

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by | 13 January, 2008 | 0 comments

By Matt and Amy Andrew

Why are so many ministers to children and youth experiencing burnout and leaving the ministry? Could it be we need to focus on what is truly important in youth and family ministry? Have we learned to spend the most time on activities that make ministry effective?

How often do ministers feel as if they are on an unstoppable treadmill, jumping from one program to another, packing as many activities into the week as they possibly can? How many feel they are not effective in ministry unless the church door is always open and something is happening every night of the week? Haven”t we seen that this approach usually leads to burnout, not to mention resentment of the church by the minister”s family?

As family ministers, we must become more strategic in order to be more effective. More isn”t always better; doing less, but doing it with a purpose, is actually more effective.

Manage Your Time

The Bible says life is like a “mist” (James 4:14). Our days can also become that way if we let them! Instead of letting the day slip through your fingers, each day:

“¢ Begin with prayer. Spend time alone with God.

“¢ Schedule your work with a beginning and an end in mind.

“¢ Group administrative tasks (e-mail!) so they don”t distract you through the day.

“¢ Spend quality time with your family.

Build Relationships

Ministry is not about mundane office tasks; ministry is about people. As a minister, follow the example of Jesus and build relationships with people. Myra Manny, an experienced children”s minister, says, “I love to energize people and stretch people”s ideas of what God wants for their lives. So the truth is, I spend the majority of my time talking. . . . I call it talking with a purpose.”

And Cory Thomas, a minister to middle-school students at First Christian Church in Kernersville, North Carolina, says he loves identifying “diamond-in-the-rough” volunteers and empowering them to begin using their gifts for God”s kingdom because it expands his ability to minister to students.

Everyone has an inherent need for touch and relationships. Studies in neonatal units show that parents who touch their newborn preemies enhance and hasten their babies” physical growth and maturity. Our ministries should be no different.

Throughout the Gospels we see how Jesus spent countless hours investing in the lives of people””he healed the leper, fed the five thousand, shared parables with the masses, and ate with Zacchaeus.

Building strong relationships with people is essential to the health and well-being of our ministry and programs. Nikki Hunt, children”s minister with First Christian Church in Johnson City, Tennessee, says, “It”s time that our ministries are more people-driven and less program-driven. We need to step outside of the church office and meet children where they are””soccer games, their school cafeterias””in order to make them feel important and loved. Simply sending a personal note of encouragement goes a long way to providing that personal touch.”

Several years ago, a survey asked teenagers to name their most important need. The number one response was unconditional love and acceptance. Maybe instead of spending time complaining that we never have enough volunteers, we should first be a friend to others. Invest in people”s lives and you will reap a huge reward!

Narrow Your Focus

Finally, we must narrow our focus. I heard a conference speaker say he had to ask himself tough questions such as: Who is my primary target? What is my purpose? What is my ministry”s niche within this church? To define his ministry, he decided to use the phrase, “It”s all about the weekend.” Develop your own phrase, such as, “It”s all about Kid”s Church” or “It”s all about Sunday night.”

Maybe a good place to begin is to define your purpose in the church; choose your target, and then develop your programming around your goals. Too often we waste time by developing our programming with no goals in mind! This is backward. Wouldn”t it be nice to direct most of your too small budget toward one main goal instead of trying to divide it many times? Use your budget on what is most important to you and “get the most bang for your buck.”

This Christmas, our family ministry team had a God-inspired vision to provide families in the area with a unique Christmas gift everyone would enjoy. Armed with a large group of committed volunteers, a heart for outreach, and a strong advertising strategy (we even made it on the local morning news in Jacksonville!), but limited by a shoestring budget, we set out to accomplish what only God could do. Our “Jingle Jam” event surpassed anything we could have imagined, reaching thousands of people in our community.

An engineer will tell you a stable, long-lasting structure needs a sure and strong foundation. The same can be said of children and youth ministries. I”ve noticed many recent Bible college graduates who become youth and children”s ministers arrive at their first ministry with an attitude of “I can do it on my own.” While it is important to have a passion for leading people to Christ, a successful ministry is never made up of lone rangers. Instead, the best ministries are built around teams of people working with one goal in mind.

Jethro noticed Moses, his son-in-law, was growing overwhelmed in his ministry and offered him this advice: “What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone” (Exodus 18:17, 18).

How many of us need to listen to this advice? How many of us need to reprioritize our time, build relationships with the people around us, and narrow our ministry focus?

Remember . . . the kingdom is counting on us!


 

 

Matt Agnew and his wife, Amy, serve with Christ”s Church at Mandarin in Jacksonville, Florida, where Matt is family minister.

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