FIVE MYTHS OF YOUTH MINISTRY
Work with young people doesn't always go by the book.
Mark H. Senter III
October 1, 1987
There is a picture hanging in my office at Trinity Seminary that I have somewhat jokingly labeled "The Death of a Youth Minister." The picture shows me during a youth group backpacking trip to Colorado, lying spread-eagle on the ground, totally exhausted.
A few of the kids were tired that day and were moaning and complaining, so I had agreed to carry some of their gear. That day of lugging what felt like a gargantuan pack up the side of Mt. Blanca-while the kids kept on grumbling-forever pictures for me the frustrations and the sweat that can come with youth ministry. When I later left the church, the glass over the picture cracked in the move. I decided to leave it that way. It seemed appropriate.
Now that's not the only picture-or memory-I have of my decade and a half in youth ministry. So much of it was happy. They were great years, marvelous years of ministry. I think of special people, of encouragement. I love young people and consider ministering to them a privilege, which is why I study, teach, and write about youth ministry, and enjoy talking with youth workers. But I keep that picture on my wall to remind me of the frustration I faced in ministering to young people. Much of the frustration, I've realized since, stems from a few assumptions we hold about youth ministry that seem plausible but upon closer investigation don't hold true. I'd like to suggest five axioms I've had to fine tune along the way.
Myth 1: The Harder the Leader Works, the Bigger the Youth Group Will Grow
When churches hire youth workers for the first time, it's most often because the current lay sponsors are either not doing the job well or have worked so hard they are burned out. So the board's thinking runs something like this; "Right now, the ...
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