The expression “no man is an island” is never truer than in youth ministry. All youth ministries exist within the larger context of a local church. And that’s a good thing. Intergenerational interaction is necessary for younger people to grow. Paul tells Titus to train older men and women to be examples to the younger men and women in the church at Crete (Titus 2:2-7). Because of this, it’s necessary for youth ministry to be part of a larger intergenerational context.
This truth, however, creates more complications when carrying out the work of the ministry. Any youth ministry leader, paid or unpaid, has to navigate a complex web of relationships and structures to provide effective, Christ-centered discipleship to the youth in the church. This starts with the ability to work effectively with the senior leaders. Consider these four ways we can effectively and biblically flourish within a church’s leadership structure.
Model Submission
Scripture says that we should submit to our leaders and obey their authority (Heb. 13:17). Just as God calls our students to follow us as their leaders, we also need to submit to the authority of the church in which we work. If we don’t model that submission properly, we can’t have a healthy expectation that students will follow our authority.
If senior leadership wants to use the youth meeting time for a one-time special church event because it’s the best time, how do we react? Do we form a separatist movement? Or do we talk it out and support them, realizing that we are part of a larger entity? As youth leaders, we need to remind students and other volunteer leaders that our goal is to support and submit to the leadership even when we disagree—as long as they don’t directly contradict a clear command of Scripture.
We are leaders in the church too, even if our role is subordinate. It’s easy to distance ourselves because we want the students to support us. We often want the students to know that we are just like them, that we haven’t sold ourselves out to “the powers that be.” But we have to recognize that we are as much leaders in the church as the senior pastor or elders are.
Therefore, present a united front by supporting in attitude as well as action. If a child thinks that his or her parents are divided, they will take advantage of the more permissive parent. We need to think of our relationship to senior leadership the same way. We have more power than we think we do. If we are seen as openly against senior leadership, we can fracture the unity of the church. Hebrews 13:17 ends by saying that we should obey so that their work will be a joy, not a burden. Few burdens are more difficult for a church’s senior leadership than divisive associates like youth pastors and other ministry leaders.
Be an Advocate
Just because you have to present a united front with senior leaders doesn’t mean you can’t be an advocate for the students, parents, and volunteer leaders in your ministry. Advocating for students does not mean openly critiquing leadership decisions that appear to negatively impact the youth. Instead, it means providing a safe space for students, volunteers, and parents to express questions or concerns about decisions.
Youth leaders need to be a bridge between senior leadership and those in their care. They should strive to accurately communicate the vision of the senior leaders to students and students’ sentiments to the leaders. The goal is to foster unity between both groups. Getting both groups in the same room whenever possible is even better. Then, they can hear each other more accurately, without a filter.
Know the Invisible Structure
Every organization—whether it’s a corporation, government, nonprofit, or church—has a visible structure. This organization chart details who reports to whom and who holds what title. But power also moves in invisible structures—ones that aren’t written down, but everyone knows are there. The one at the top of the org chart isn’t always the one with the most power or influence.
Here are some good questions to consider: Who are the most respected members of the community? Who do people go to for help and advice? When something needs to get done, who is often the most difficult to convince? Who tends to disagree the most? What groups tend to have the most relational tension towards each other? These questions give you a much better picture of the invisible structure. Even if your senior pastor is on board with you, those who hold unofficial influence and power can cause your ministry to sink or swim.
Know the Culture and History
Every church has a culture and history, and those two elements drive almost every decision it makes. As the youth minister, you may have a lot of ideas and even a lot of people on board with some of them, but the culture and history will ultimately determine whether they come to fruition.
In The Imperfect Pastor, Zack Eswine details ways pastors, especially youth pastors, can understand their church’s culture and history.1 First, learn their favorite memories. Many may tacitly want you to recreate them or hold on to events and initiatives that you may want to change. Second, learn about their experiences with previous pastors (or in this case, the youth minister) because that will color their expectations of you.
Third, learn the culture of the leadership. Leadership cultures have three layers: they have their written rules, often in the form of a statement of faith or bylaws; they have their stated culture, what people say they really value and how they treat the written rules; and then they have their actual culture, how they actually behave in relation to their values and written rules. Pay attention to the second and third layers because those will determine what people really value.
Fourth, learn the theological culture. Even though there is a statement of faith, leaders have different emphases in their theology. James 5:16 says we should confess our sins to each other, but how open are they in real life? How much grace do they extend when you make a mistake? If you want your ministry to flourish, you need to understand these parameters around culture and history.
The heart of ministry is always about spreading the gospel and helping kids to understand that Christ loved them so much that he gave his life for them. It’s about God’s power working in you, not your skills or political acumen. But if we, as youth leaders, want the gospel to reach as many students as possible, we need others in the church, in particular the leaders, as allies in this work.
We are called, with those in senior leadership of our churches, to proclaim the gospel message—that Jesus died to save us from sin. It’s therefore vitally important that we learn to foster a spirit of unity among those we work with, even when there’s a disagreement.
Do you need help creating a unifying vision for your youth ministry? Read through Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry with your church leadership or youth ministry team for theologically deep, practical help in creating a youth ministry focused on Christ.
- Zack Eswine, The Imperfect Pastor (Crossway, 2015), 219-224. ↩︎
