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Monthly youth leaders column

God's people - back up

We often use the word back-up to describe what we should all do with our computer files so when our wonderful machines go wrong all our valuable data is not lost.

We buy memory sticks and remote hard discs to make sure all our files are well preserved. We consider our written files to be important enough to make sure we preserve them. What do we do to preserve the ministry of our youth and children’s teams?

In April I wrote about support networks and, sure enough, at New Word Alive (it was a great event for the youth and children too!!!!!) I met up with people that were either full-time youth leaders or volunteers. It was interesting to hear of their experience in ministry. Some of them said they had good support networks. People in their church were concerned about them and were prepared to support them, listen to them and pray with them. Once I heard that I was encouraged but they wanted to go on and several of them bemoaned the fact that they had to do so many routine resource jobs that they had little time to do the work of ministry to which they had been called.

Behind the scenes

And I thought of Mary. She was a retired headmistress, well into her 70s, who took control of every resource purchase for the children’s work in our church. We were trying to develop creative work in our children’s ministry and that needed scissors, paper, glue, etc., which needed buying, storing and making available to children’s clubs and Sunday school. It was all done by her and she made the key leaders put in their orders for resources on time. And I thought of John who gave his time to rummaging in cupboards all round the buildings the young people and children used and made sure that all our gear was well maintained. When he helped us I never found a table tennis bat without two sides of rubber and a computer that failed to operate.

Every year

And I thought of Alison and many other people who turned up every year and cooked for our young people and leaders for our annual house party. None of these people had much face-to-face weekly contact with children but were vital to the operation of our ministry. Many youth workers spend a lot of time doing maintenance tasks that could easily be done by someone else in the church. Such people may well not be natural relational beings capable of doing face-to-face ministry but well capable of resourcing your ministry. There are an increasing number of people in our churches, who are well into pensionable age, looking for active service and longing to be used and often feeling left out of church life. Use them!!! It’s a great way to get more senior people praying for you long before they get round to doing the tasks.

Invaluable people

When you next start recruiting team members you should ask yourself an important question. Can I cut down the number of maintenance tasks being done by the leaders who relate well to young people and meet them every week by listing those tasks and asking someone with very little to do in church life to do those tasks? Now, it may mean you have to be a little better organised, but that will do you good. Resource team will need clear instructions from somebody so they get a list of ‘tasks to be done’. After all they weren’t at the youth meeting when the table got broken — they can’t guess what needs fixing.

Such people can be both invaluable and releasing. They give more people in the church a chance to serve. In short, the body of Christ functions a lot better when all the limbs get regular and proper exercise.

Diamond gal

And then there was Maggie who, in the days before computers were even dreamt of, wrote endless lists of group members, house party punters and directions to get to the weekend away. She was a diamond who seemed to quite enjoy the visit of the young person on the night before house party start day who said that, after all, they had decided to come and was that OK? Of course, said Maggie and re-wrote every list even though she had to do a big shunt of all the dorms. Such administrators are invaluable and can be found. Maybe a retired secretary or someone who finds great delight in organising you could help you. Some youth workers are amply blessed with a teaching gift but are often not the world’s greatest administrators (or even chairpersons). Administration is a spiritual gift (kubernesis) and Maggie was all of that. Agendas and minutes for meetings, and all those things that keep a team aware of what’s going on, were written and circulated by Maggie.

So get praying and then go searching. You may find some gems, as I did. What are you waiting for?

(All names have been changed to protect identity.)

Dave Fenton

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<< June 2008 >>