Being Available

One of the hallmarks of relational youth ministry is being available when someone has a need. When a parent is in crisis, when someone has an emergency, when there's a relationship falling apart—each of these are times when students and families need you most.

I thought I would share with you some basic principles and boundaries to make sure you handle this important aspect of youth ministry in a way that helps those you serve without burning yourself out.

Build a great team of people who care.
If you're alone doing ministry, you will fail. Sharing the load not only empowers volunteers to lead and use their gifts, it also allows you to multiply your care across the ministry. And few things wear on a youth worker like crisis management, so ensure you have energy for the big stuff by sharing the load on some of the smaller stuff!

Care when there isn't a crisis.
There's nothing better than stopping by a student's house "just because" or a dropping a simple card in the mail that conveys your love for them. Think of this as "preventative care" for your students—even when they aren't in a crisis they know you care.

Drop everything in an emergency.
Sometimes it's difficult to tell when something is truly an emergency but when a major crisis or catastrophe hits, drop everything to be there. When you show up in a difficult situation it will be remembered forever. The opposite is also true: If you don't show up, it's a huge mark on your reputation as a shepherd as well.

Just be there. (This is the hardest for me to master)
It isn't always easy to know what to say—even when people look at you like you should. Don't underestimate the power of the "be with" factor. Sit with them. Do more than just offer to help with whatever they need—everyone does that and it means you're going to do nothing. Jump in and help or just get there and be present. And, quietly organize others to do the same.

Make sure there's a plan in place when you leave.
You need time off and regularly established boundaries, so make sure you set up a system of care while you're away. Crises don't plan their vacation schedule according to yours, so make sure there's a simple process in place for care until you get back. As always, you need to make sure you're in a good place to help others so never apologize for taking care of yourself and your family; just make sure you show up when you get back.

The Big Picture

Youth workers need to have a holistic view of ministry—stay too focused on today and it can be hard to remember where you were headed. But if you're always looking ahead, you risk not handling today well. Here are a few thoughts that may help you tackle today AND tomorrow effectively.

Right In Front Of You: This Week
What needs to be accomplished right away this week? Go practical instead of tactical; make a "to do list" or use an app to help guide your time and projects with due dates this week. The "This Week" stuff is the nitty-gritty tasks you simply must accomplish. Put your head down, and work through the list you made at the beginning of your week.

The Small Picture: The Next Season Ahead
This is where you move from the day-to-day tasks and make sure you're tracking on the big-picture details of what's next. This is making sure the discipleship retreat camp deposit is in the mail, but not necessarily programming the event itself. This is making sure you have a speaker lined up, but not necessarily knowing the menu that's planned.

The Big Picture: This Coming Year
Occasionally, throughout the year, find some time to make sure the big-picture vision is in place. Check the pulse of your leaders; look back on goals you set from the year before; work through your vision statements and learnings from a recent book or seminar. Determine what's broken and what's doing well, lay out strategies to address the weak points in your discipleship process. This is a mix of practical (calendar planning) and tactical (is what we have planned truly helping us to accomplish our vision?).

The Lifetime Achievement: Your Legacy
This is the biggest picture of all: what you will leave with your church when you leave, or the legacy you leave behind when God decides your time here is done. Don't text and drive or it may be sooner rather than later. Too many youth workers live in the day-to-day world and never take a step back every few years and really wrestle with your calling again and see what God may be up to.

Consider planning your week with an appropriate amount of time given to each of these categories. Focus on the tasks of the week, be familiar with the season ahead, make sure you know where you are headed and every once in a while, and wrestle with your legacy for good measure, too.