Thanks for posting this.

Here are some of my thoughts from the Catholic perspective of youth ministry, not necessarily in any order:

- So, I agree with everything that Mark said in his article.
- I think that anyone that chooses the vocation/profession of youth worker has a wonderful ability to serve and to incarnate God’s love in a community. Any youth minister that has this quality is more than likely good at this.
- It seems like pastors and parishes evaluate the work of youth minister (meaning, the person on the parish staff who is hired specifically to work with young people) based on the outcome of programs: how many teens are getting confirmed, how many teens came to youth group, how many teens participate in Sunday Mass?
- The lie that Mark discusses in his article (which, I can say that I’ve bought into and am currently living) is, in my opinion, caused by two things. The first is youth ministers who are either not equipped to be effective leaders or choose to “get things done” instead of empowering other people to take ownership. The second is the motivation of “getting things done” is NOT because any youth minister wants to work 12-13 hours a day. It is simply that we want our pastors and parish staff to know that we are actually earning the salary we are paid. So, producing a video about a trip or hosting a clothing drive are much more tangible measurement of job performance than the counseling/prayer time/teaching moments with and for teens.
- We are visionary, top-down leaders because, well, we feel like our job and our salary and our “authority” depends on it. Rightly or wrongly, youth ministers, particularly in the Catholic Church, have been put on a pedestal. My spiritual director said to me once, “No one wants your job.” I think he was only expressing what many adults feel: youth ministry is good and necessary but thank God there is someone to deal with those teens.
- So, youth ministers need to change their focus. A college student asked me for help on a paper she was writing on ministry and posed the question “What would you do differently?” Being a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers I wrote, “To be more Phil Jackson, and less Kobe Bryant”. There are people who are good at youth ministry. But the people who are REALLY good at youth ministry make other people good at youth ministry.
- BUT, if we youth ministers have to change, so does the culture of expectation of the youth minister in our parishes. And that has to start with our pastors and parish staff. There needs to be better understanding of the characteristics of a professional youth minister. We should not be defensive about why we do what we do, but to clearly state that if we are not in our office during normal business hours for the rest of the staff, we are leading a lunch time bible study at a school or networking with other youth workers or supporting teens at a sporting event or play or, fancy this concept, praying.
- If a youth minister is supposed to advocate for others, who will advocate for the youth minister?
- We, at least in the Catholic youth ministry world, need to rethink how we train and empower the men and women who serve the Church and its young people. Yes, we need to have training on how to better run a Confirmation program or youth group night or mission trip or relational ministry. Some people have gifts in certain aspects of ministry and need to learn how to be better in other areas. But, if we buy into what Mark says in his article, all of us, regardless of experience, education, charism or training, need to be leaders. If there is truth in what Mark says, I would say that many youth ministers either don’t know how to lead or forget that leading other people is part of their ministry. I am personally in both categories. And, trust me, it’s place a pretty good sized cross on my shoulders.

Mark’s words are certainly challenging. But, how can those words become a reality?

1. I’m glad it generated a bit of conversation.. even though it’s way behind the number of comments for the Dancing Cheese singers. I know where I fit in the world.

2. Sam I appreciate that this was meaning ful to you man. Youasked, “HOW”, like many folks do when it comes to this kind of thing. In fact it’s the most common question I’m asked. But I wonder if HOW is the wrong question. That HOW is often a soft way of saying “I’m not so sure about this” in that HOW often is the way we all displace responsibilty onto someone out there. Some expert, some blog, or someone else. HOW points to an answer outside of myself that I must search to find. If I’m lucky.

What do you think? Is HOW the wrong question?

http://www.youthspecialties.com/blog/2008/on-their-turf/

It seemed to be a good follow-up from Mark’s blog, for me atleast.