There is a rhythm to ministry. If you pay attention to this rhythm you can avoid some of the chaos that is stereotypical in youth ministry.
October 31 is one of the markers in your rhythm where most of the activities for the fall have been planned and for the most part completed. The remaining weeks you have with students between now and the New Year is minimal. The next two weeks are a window of opportunity for you to do some critical planning for yourself, your family, and your ministry.
We have been doing camp at Horizon for close to twenty years. We hosted our first camp in 2003 at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, OK. Since then we have been all over the state of Texas and a couple of places in OK.
We have now centrally located our two sessions of camp at Heart of Texas Camp in Brownwood, TX.
Our philosophy is that camp starts the first week after you return home. For a meaningful camp year after camp, take these actions:
This time last year we never dreamed that we would ever ask that question. However, after 7 months of living through a world-wide pandemic, maybe we have learned something.
When our world seemed to “shut down” in March earlier this year, we tried to hold on to our hopes of having camp for quite some time. But, as the spread of COVID continued, we officially made the decision to cancel our summer camps in the first few days of June.
Though the decision to cancel camp was very difficult, here are some thoughts on what we have learned.
For the first time in my ministry career I didn’t go to youth camp. It was strange—less stress—but strange.
The decision to cancel camp was extremely difficult. For many youth ministries, if not most, camp is the heart of their summer. To think about a summer without youth camp is like having Easter without church. How can that be?
Obviously, we have faced many challenges over the last few months and whether to attend youth camp was one of them. As we struggled with our decision on whether to host camps, I remembered our mantra, “Life happens after camp”.
When I first started the process of developing my personal mission statement, I was a bit cynical. So maybe we have something in common.
My cynicism peaked when I thought, if having a mission statement is so important, then Jesus must have had one. From there I set out to determine what it was. Here are a few things I learned.
Our world has become familiar with the hashtag #Strong. A social media world has given us a good way to respond by standing together in challenging times for a certain cause. If we could take some liberty and expand the use of the Strong hashtag, I think it could be used in the life of a Student Minister. The calling to work with students is not for the weak of heart. Most know and acknowledge this truth, but no one is exempt from feeling overwhelmed.
Youth Ministers are among the most creative people on the planet. Every week there is something new. The grind of creativity is barely noticeable because it is so routine. It’s muscle memory. Following a rhythm for life and ministry make the challenge of creativity easier.
We depend on routines, resources and relationships to bring out the best in programming every week. During recent months we have had to redirect this process hoping for the same results. It is difficult. Challenging but we are figuring it out.
As you work through the grind consider these steps for the long haul. Here’s to better planning and better health!
