Youth ministry basics

As I chew on the meaty topic of boiling down training for youth ministry into bite-size, trainable, transferable chunks, I realize that ministry as a whole is so life-encompassing that it is almost impossible to create a system to train people for ministry.

I think of Jesus’ approach in training His disciples and marvel that we, today, think that in one seminar -- or series of seminars -- we can “train” people to “do” ministry in a way that is sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and effective in the Kingdom of God. After all, it took Jesus 3 years of constant teaching, training & direction to prepare 12 guys (11 effectually) for ministry -- maybe I should say that Jesus chose to take 3 years to invest in the lives of these guys.

Even then, the question is whether or not they were completely prepared for ministry. Yes and no. But I’m digressing from my muse here...

Yet, I have been given a desire by the Lord to establish a network of trained volunteer youth-workers in Slovakia over the next 4 years. Is that possible? Is it realistic?

My knee jerk reaction to that vision is to package a training program that can be delivered individually via one-on-one meetings in which I can divest my knowledge to the other individual. That even sounds so arrogant. As if I am the “answer man”, the youth ministry “guru” and from that posture I recoil. I do have experience. I do have training. I do have vision and desire and hope and love and so much more that is crucial to a healthy believer doing/creating/running a healthy ministry.

The real question with which I’m struggling is the “how-to” question. How do I come alongside volunteer youth workers to encourage, equip, mentor, and, yes, train. Even before all of this takes place, how do I befriend all/any of these wonderful workers in the Kingdom? How do I earn the right to become one who mentors, equips, leads and trains?

I recognize that my time “in country” has already paved the way for much of this to occur, but in this day and age and with this generation, relationships are even more foundational and crucial to effective ministry -- let alone mentoring, equipping and training.

I thank God that He has the details all mapped out and as I walk with Him, He’ll reveal them as I need them. Still, I’m open to hearing from other children of His...