Dear youth pastor. If by some chance you lead a largish ministry with a centralized program, of course there are some obvious things to never ever forget. Things like “teach the bible” and “it’s all about relationships” should go without saying.
However just being at Reagan in the summer I found myself making a checklist of things that won’t necessarily make or break you but would help immensely.
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During the summer, aside from the periodic planning meeting, you shouldn’t see your interns that often. They should be out hanging out with kids. Don’t give them office hours. Defeats the purpose.
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Give ownership to your team and really give it. Don’t be uninvolved but let them run with the day to day operations. At times asking your team questions as opposed to giving them all the answers is the right approach.
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Trust. Trust the experts. Hopefully you aren’t the most skilled and knowledgeable guitarist / sound guy / video guy. If you are, start finding someone even if they aren’t as “good” as you and let them become “better.” Surround them with faithful people and then trust them. Which leads to…
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It goes without saying that you should love your teams well but don’t forget your production teams and bands. Take them to lunch early and often and don’t just talk shop. Talk about life.
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“Everything is going to be ok.” Don’t freak out. Seriously. Don’t do it.
Now if I could just heed my own advice…
