Steve Argue

Steve is the Executive Director of the Contextual Learning Center and Adjunct Professor of Youth Ministry at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. He is the Co-Founder of Intersect, a ministry that provides leadership training and consulting to emerging leaders. Steve is currently a doctoral student in the Higher Adult and Lifelong Education (HALE) program at Michigan State University.

brief thoughts for a new youth pastor…

By Steve Argue
Published 01/26/2008

Brian is about to become a new youth pastor and he asks this on his post…

The questions I have for you seasoned and experienced (or fresh out of the box) church workers are:

1. what am I getting myself into?
2. what makes ministry worth it?
3. should I EXPECT junk or take it as it comes?

I was invited to respond, so here’s my short (non-exhaustive) answer!

Hey Brian…

I’m not sure how to give a blog answer to such big questions, but I offer a couple of thoughts. Forgive me for not knowing you or your context…

What am I getting myself into?
Nothing new… and everything new. You now have a title with all the advantages and disadvantages that come with it. Remember, that no matter where you go… you bring yourself. Therefore you make the role, the role doesn't make you. Become a student of your context. Embrace it, warts and all… and you’ll be embraced… warts and all.

What makes ministry worth it?
If you ask this from a “job” perspective, I suppose you’d come up with some interesting answers. If you ask this from the perspective that “ministry is like the air we breathe,” the question sounds kind of funny. Maybe a better word is “calling” or “worship.” It’s worth it… and it’ll kick your butt. And if it didn’t… it probably wouldn’t be worth it b/c it would be too easy.

Should I EXPECT junk or take it as it comes?
Answer: yes. I believe we’re called to the junk… to the margins… to the hurting… to the oppressed.

And then other things you didn’t ask for…

I was told early on…

Most YP’s overestimate what they can do in a year, and underestimate what they can do in five. I’ll let you unpack what that might mean for you.

Take your ministry seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously.

Read. Read a lot. The youth pastors I respect the most are those who are well-read and see their calling as dynamically emerging. For every "current" book you read, read twice as many classics.

Remember, that in the title “youth pastor” the operative word is “pastor.” Embody this.

Also, remember you’re not alone. I don’t mean this in some sort of “precious moments” sort of way. There’s a tribe called youth pastors/leaders that care about their missional call and care about each other. We’ve got each other’s back. Welcome.

Spread The Word

Comments

Comment #1 (Posted by Will Penner)

"You make the role, the role doesn't make you," is terrific advice. We certainly need to be attentive to the job descriptions if we'd like to keep getting a check. But we also need to remember that the JD is just a description of the "rents" we have to pay (Mark DeVries term) in order to be allowed the freedom to do ministry as we are called.

Comment #2 (Posted by Matt Schaffner)

I just wanted to touch on the last two points. The fact that being in student ministry is hard is something a lot of people gloss over. There will be days you think that you can't do anything right and that you are a failure. Those days suck. But, what makes it worth it is seeing one student "get it." Knowing that you impacted one life is an amazing thing and makes all the crap you take (criticism, small pay, long hours, the list goes on and on) very worth it. Besides, there's nothing sweeter than getting a letter from that kid who you thought would end up in jail telling you that because of some little thing you did, his life changed. And as to the junk: it comes, by the boatload it comes. Just roll with the punches and be well read. If you know where the criticism and grief is coming from you can respond in a good way instead of lashing out. When I first started I got really defensive because of some well intentioned parents who had valid concerns that, to me, sounded like an arrogant, holier-than-thou mentality. By not listening and figuring out where they were coming from I caused a major rift and made my life really hard. SO listen, read and listen some more.

Comment #3 (Posted by Derek Elkins)

What if you don't have a job description? So any youth ministers are hired after things hit dire straights (especially in mainline churches) and are expected to perform a resurrection of sorts. How do we manage the demands of a very open-ended calling?

Comment #4 (Posted by Karen Norval)

I remember my dad in law, a dentist, commenting on how he wouldn't want to be a young dentist coming out of school now with insurance and legalities that didn't exist when he was starting out. I now find myself talking with former students, some entering into youth ministry, and feeling my "seasoned" side musing over the same thing. I believe this has to be one of the greatest times to be in youth ministry but also one of the most difficult and ill defined times. Church ministry is often determined by those with a "youth group" experience who expect similar program driven stuff. Para church now competes with a wealth of school and other activities and many struggle for financial hold in those ministries. Every bit of the advice written above is huge and has so much more behind the simplicity of the words. There is little to gauge success in youth ministry and numbers no longer indicate you're doing a great job. SOOOO...be connected to God even when you don't feel like it, read like crazy even when you don't like what you're reading, pay attention to the world around you even when it doesn't make sense or it scares the daylights out of you, and love the students and their parents even when they are at their most unlovable. One more thought - find other people who do what you do who live near enough to meet you at midnight if you need it! Blessings to you and to the students in your life!

Comment #5 (Posted by Mike Garner)

Brian, What a journey you are about to embark on. As I think back over my 15 years of being a pastor to students, I am amazed at what God has taught me. What are you getting yourself into? A life that must be totally dependent upon the power of the Holy Spirit. I have found so many times that I, in my own strength and gifting, can pull off a certain level of "youth ministry", but boy is it empty without the filling of the Holy Spirit in my life. Stay connected to the vine. As to "what makes ministry worth it?", I agree with what has already been said about the joy of seeing lives changed. I have been at my current location for almost 12 years, and seeing students grow up, go to college, get married and have kids is a sobering and rewarding experience. You rarely get to see the fruit of your ministry in the few short years they are in your ministry. But seeing God work long-term in their lives is the one thing that keeps me in it! Junk? My one thought is this, the junk that will surprise you is your own as God exposes the wrinkles in your life while you are growing in him...be ready to go deep and deal with your own junk, trusting that "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it...". Stay connected to the Vine and you will experience the life He has called you to as a real "pastor"! peace.

Comment #6 (Posted by Tommy Vowell)

Brian, My first thoughts when I hear someone say they're about to embark on the journey of student ministry is to shout, "Run! Run! Run!", but then I stop and realize you are answering the call of God to minister to students. Then I ask, "Have you truly experienced a call from God?" I ask that because you need to know ministry is both a great joy and a difficult life. Your call by God will be the only thing you can hang on to when difficulties come; when one moment someone tells you that you are a blessing and around the next corner you bump into another person who actually tells you you're the worst thing to happen to the church! Believe me, you'll question your mental health as to why you decided to go into ministry. If you cannot say beyond a shadow of doubt that God called you to this ministry you will eventually give up. Trust me...seek God seriously now, brother. Once you can affirm the call then I encourage you to pursue the call fully.

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Steve Argue

brief thoughts for a new youth pastor…

Spread The Word

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