Monthly youth leaders column

I occasionally have the opportunity to talk to other youth leaders about what goes on in their church.

It is a privilege and it is always great to see how others operate and to share in the highs and lows of their gospel work. I have noticed a pattern of similar questions that arise regularly. How do I keep the 13/14-year-olds coming? What if they don't want to hear the Bible taught? How do we attract non-Christian friends? How do we challenge the lifestyles of the older teenagers without driving them away?

The principles that can be applied to the questions will be the same, it is just the practicalities that change. Here are some of those golden rules to mull over.

Don't look down the road

One of the frequent problems is 'keeping up with the Joneses - meaning those Joneses that work at a nearby church whose youth work seems to be going so well. However difficult it is don't get sucked into playing the comparison game. If the church down the road is doing great things, rejoice with them and then get on with your own work. If they are struggling, don't get smug, see what support you can offer, but don't forget your own young people.

Start where you are

What matters is what you do with the time, resources and people you have got. No matter how small and under-funded there is always something that can be done. If the church has no space, meet in homes. If the church has no youth budget, then beg and borrow. Challenge the mindset that views youth work as an additional extra.

Disciple those you have

Starting where you are means beginning by discipling those young people who already attend. Unless you are starting a new church there will always be some teenager/s tucked away on the fringe of things. Meet them, find a time to sit down together, have a meal. Most importantly get the Bible out and start to teach them. Youth work starts with faithfully teaching those in our charge. The prayer is that they will begin to understand the Bible and the urgency of telling their friends about Jesus.

Bible first

The youth work books and magazines are full of interesting and exciting things to do with your young people. There are dramas, community action ideas, worship events... Ignore it all. While many of them are worthy activities they are not the first priority. The first priority is to teach the Bible to both Christians and non-Christians alike. Never compromise on this.

...it doesn't have to be dull

One reason people shy away from teaching the Bible is because they think it is dull, or the young people say it is. After all youth work is meant to be all fun, games, laughter and action, isn't it? Both assessments are wrong. Youth work must not be frivolous and must take Bible teaching seriously. Yet Bible teaching can be made fun, engaging and dynamic. Games and study can go alongside one another to teach a point, don't separate the 'fun' from the serious stuff - mix and match. Make the serious stuff fun and memorable.

Long-term, not hit and run

The problem is that all of this takes time. Along the way there will be hard battles to fight. Young people who leave because they don't want to be taught, they only want to play football. Young people who make your life difficult because the truth means change. Parents who are not happy that their free 'baby-sitting service' has turned into a Bible class. Church elders or PCC that only want to see young people in the pews and getting involved in the community. Youth work, like adult ministry, should count the years in fives, not ones or twos. Too many strategies are rejected because they do not work instantly. Too many projects given only one attempt.

Potted summary

There are lots more golden rules, but no space to elaborate on them. Grow your team and look after them well. Set goals and stick to them. Develop a system of small groups for deeper Bible study with the teenagers. Encourage the young people to get involved in evangelism at a personal level. Make sure that the young people remain involved with the whole church family.

Don't give up

There will be times when you want to. But keep your head in those situations, endure the hardship, keep on spreading the gospel and remain fully functioning as a Bible teaching youth leader. That's what Paul would have told you to do (1 Timothy 4.5).

Thank you very much for reading my rants and ramblings for the last three years, especially to those people who have told me personally about their own encouragements and difficulties. I'm taking a break now and handing over the column to Dave Fenton. Things, as they say, can only get better.

Golden rules