ministry milestones

How many youth pastors enter ministry saying they are "lifers?" How many actually make it?
Regardless of whether one makes it a lifetime, there are some milestones along the way that make the journey so much sweeter.


18 months... the traditional average a youth pastor stays at a particular church. This isn't hard to beat today but it's still a milestone. It says you've learned how to follow instructions, work well with others, shows up on time and basically do your job. It means you've made it through a review or two and have proved worth keeping... or at least not worth the headache of letting go. The key to making it this far is healthy relationships with your pastor, boards, parents, volunteers and especially the church secretary. 3 years... the amount of time it takes for a ministry to be truly yours. You may be calling all the shots until this point but the reality is half your group is still thinking "I liked the way (insert predecessor's name here) did it." At the 3 year mark you also earn the right to BBQ some sacred cows; the New Year's Eve all niter, three different Sunday school classes each week, the puppet ministry and the hand-me-down couches in the youth lounge that still smell like the sixties (the group, not the decade). But don't get overconfident, you still can't touch confirmation, the denominational winter retreat or the the old couple with the slide projector that comes every year on missions Sunday. These are institutions that have outlasted a lineage of youth pastors before you. Be patient. That's the key to making it this far. Don't get too big for your britches. People like you. Enjoy the favor and learn how to build greater trust.


 5 years in the same church... the amount of time it takes to become an expectation. There's something special about having whole families pass through your ministry. It's so cool to hear a younger sibling say how excited they are to finally be in middle school with pastor (your name here). When little sibs look forward to participating in the activities and events you initiated, you'll want to be there too. It also takes at least five years in the same place to be privileged to conduct your former student's weddings, baby dedications and important family celebrations. The key to making it this far is consistency. Showing up day after day and year after year consistently caring makes people imagine their special moments with you as a part of them.


10 years... the amount of time it takes to be considered a veteran. This means that younger guys and girls will seek you out for wisdom and advice and that you actually have something to share with them... granted you've actually thought about why you do what you do and put yourself in a place where younger youth workers can fine you. I've learned that most young youth workers are courageous and bold on the outside but overwhelmed and confused on the inside. They've been hired as "youth experts" or pastors with very little experience, diversity or training. They step into a role where numerical growth becomes the goal, spiritual growth becomes the excuse (for not growing numerically) and professional growth gets ignored. Just like a young believer, young youth workers need to be mentored and coached, encouraged and supported. There's a junior high guy named Bruce McEvoy in Geneva, IL that tought me about this most. He's been there for nearly two decades and oozes student ministry. He showed me that this mentor role is one of the most fulfilling, fun and personally helpful roles I get to play as a veteran youth pastor. I learn so much as I come along side of a younger colleague. It often forces me to examine my ministry and ask if what I'm doing is really godly, biblical and healthy. Too often I discover that I don't have a good reason why I do what I do... or that my reason is selfish or lazy. Seasons of reflection and sharing with ministry peers helps bring this type of refinement out. The key to making it this far is being deliberate. We must be deliberate about the things we do, the places we go, the groups we join, the conferences we attend and the pace we keep. Good things and growth don't happen by accident.


15 years... the amount of time it takes to stop thinking of students and start thinking of them as kids. Ministry changes when you become a parent. Ministry changes again when you become a parent of a kid in your ministry. All those parents that once confused, questioned and frustrated you begin to sound rational and familiar. All those students that you once shed blood and sweat for now elicit tearful prayers and parental groans that words cannot express. The hugs that once seemed awkward and protected now seem more paternal and protective. The risks you once took don't seem so worth-it any more. The calendar and events that once pulled you and others away from family time on a Sunday afternoon now push everyone toward home. The pricetag on your events lowers. The average age of you volunteers rises... and you discover parents really are good for your group. All this and more come when you stick in it long enough to consider your kids as your own. The key to making it this far is humility; realizing that you don't have all the answers and that parents have much more to offer you than you have to offer them. Humility mixed with 15 years of experience will also drive you to pray more than you plan... and how can one help but develop a parental compassion for kids while in fervent and constant prayer for them?


20 years... the amount of time it takes to become an institution. Policies change, styles fade, strategies are replaced, pastors come and go but instiitutions are for always. We can depend on them when all else seems to shift. After 20 years in the same place people would be more shocked to see a their youth pastor leave than to see the Cubs win the world series. After 20 years you have the right to call your church "your church." After 20 years you begin seeing kids of kids in your program, grandparents volunteering and friends on the elder board. This is about the time when some youth pastors give in to the temptation to leave local church ministry to begin consulting, training and speaking ministries. The key to making it this far is a love for their church. Most pastors would say they love the Church, but to love their church is different. It means loving even the spots and blemishes of the bride of Christ, the humanness of the body. It means sticking around, rolling up your sleeves and being a part of the sanctification process for the body.


30 years... the amount of time it takes to be considered a legend or "lifer." I can only imagine what this will be like. When I think of lifers and legends I imagine my colleague, friend and mentor Keith Kreuger. Keith was the youth pastor at FEFC in Loveland, OH for... ever (ok, really like 30some years). Year after year he loved kids, equipped volunteers, encouraged patents, served the church and inspired rookies like me. He's the reason I didn't abandon my calling at the 10 year mark. He's the reason I didn't leave the joys of youth ministry for the monotony of adult ministry (at least it seems so to me). He's the guy I imagine being like when I grow up. I'd try to suggest a key to making it this far but I believe its truly a gift from God; the calling, the passion, the steadiness, the longevity. I pray that one day I'm blessed to be there.