SUCCESS FACTORS

Primary Issue: “As a youth leader, I was most effective and got my greatest sense of personal satisfaction from…”

What’s Happening?
Making real life connections is the key to success in youth ministry. Youth workers have a sense of effectiveness and feel satisfied when they are hanging out with kids and building trusting relationships. Being invited into the personal lives of young people brings high satisfaction. The condition of their own spiritual life and how they organize their work is also a predictor for how they feel about their effectiveness. When having their own house in order is complimented with the empowerment and support from parents, supervisors and senior pastors, their passion and calling is energized. They especially celebrate occasions when they see kids’ characters shaped and priorities altered. Watching the youth they care about experience God and grow in their faith affirms their purpose for being involved.


SATISFACTION LEVELS

Primary Issue: “My satisfaction in my youth ministry right now is…”

What’s Happening?
Youth workers have a strong sense of calling to their ministry vocation. They also feel they are personally gifted for their role. As they strive to be positive models among their youth, they believe they “practice what they preach.” The demands of the workplace often put pressure on involvements outside the workplace. Consequently, relationships beyond the youth group sometimes suffer. Another source of dissent involves their supervisors. Youth leaders are looking for supervisors who understand youth culture and can help them navigate the organizational demands they all face.


TROUBLE SPOTS

Primary Issue: “Some aspects of youth leadership can be difficult. I am most discouraged and frustrated by…”

What’s Happening?
Today’s youth workers see beyond the kids they serve. They have aspirations to connect with families. However, there is often dissatisfaction with the parents who do get involved. They are also frustrated with extra administrative and other organizational demands that crowd their busy schedules. Like everyone else, money is an issue. This is particularly prevalent for CYO’s who are pressed to raise their own support. The highest level of anxiety is reserved for what primarily motivates them to work with youth in the first place. Levels of despair accompany the fear that the young people they invest in will turn their backs on God and walk away from their faith.


EDUCATION AND PREPARATION

Primary Issue: When I think back to my education what I wish I had been taught was…

What’s Happening?
Of the 810 people in the overall research sample, over 90% have post-secondary education of some kind. Of the total, one-third have included academic studies in a formal youth ministry degree program. The real issue is whether or not adding formal youth ministry education to one’s resume really makes a significant difference. When the lens is lowered on feeling competent in the areas of adolescent development and theological preparation, there is no difference between those who have the formal credentials and those who do not. On other matters addressed below, there are only marginal differences. The challenging questions that remain unresolved should keep academic decision makers awake at night.


ORGANIZATIONAL DYNAMICS

Primary Issue: “What I like and dislike most about the organization I serve with is…”

What’s Happening?
Most youth ministry happens within some sort of an organizational structure… a local church, a campus group, a street ministry, a camp or some other defined hierarchical configuration. Working within these systems produces some great benefits. They can also create tension and conflict. Our survey participants often signaled a love/hate relationship with their ministries. These emotions are most often focused on the people who are high on the organizational food chain – boards, elders, parents, senior pastors, and executive directors. Those groups and individuals are positioned to deliver the greatest joy to some and the greatest frustration to others.


LEADERSHIP ISSUES

Primary Issue: “Have you ever had a formal mentoring or coaching relationship with anyone? If “yes” – what I gained was…”

What’s Happening?
One remarkable aspect of the “What’s Happening” research project is the maturity of the people in the sample. A total of 70% of the 810 people who responded have between 6 and 25 plus years of ministry experience with young people. We are listening to the youth ministry authorities in Canada. Collectively, no one knows more than they do about the state of youth ministry in Canada.

Leadership is part of youth worker’s DNA. Youth leaders carry a positive self-image about their leadership capacity. They are not surprised when young people respond to their initiatives. If youth leaders have a blind spot, it may be in giving an adequate priority to short and longer term planning. The planning process is not always supported or encouraged with consistent supervision. In fact, too often youth leaders are left out on their own. Youth workers who have been in a mentoring/coaching relationship with adults they respect have been impacted in positive ways. The personal gifts and professional competence of their mentors/coaches have contributed to their personal confidence and vocational competence.


SPIRITUAL MATTERS

Primary Isuue: “ My greatest spiritual fear as I lead young people is……..’

What’s Happening?
The spiritual lives of young people are complex. Leading them spiritually is a challenge. For youth workers, the journey can be a source of great joy but it can also be utterly disappointing when youth don’t seem to get it. Creating a welcoming environment is an important part of youth groups – regardless of diverse beliefs or differing values. Youth want to engage in active service in their communities but compared to the past, are less likely to share their faith with their friends. Understanding the unique spiritual context raises different issues for CYO leaders when compared with those working in churches. Youth bring different backgrounds with them. Spiritual sensitivity is required to see the world as they see it and lead them accordingly. The Fear of youth abandoning their faith troubles many youth leaders. The belief that this might be their fault can keep them up at night.


YOUTH CULTURE

Primary Question: “What I enjoy most and what frustrates me about young people today is…”

What’s Happening?
Young people have a passion for life that inspires youth workers. Being around youth gives them energy to tackle the challenges of youth ministry. Effective youth ministry is designed to create space for kids to develop friendship and belong in a community. Youth workers thrive when they are building relationships with teens but also know there are limits to their influence. For today’s youth, friends are a critical source of influence. Obviously, culture leaves its marks on lives of young people. Youth workers can be agitated when youth demonstrate the negative attitudes that are dominant in our world. They expect more from their youth. Acknowledging that the world is getting more complex, youth workers see themselves as allies who champion the best interest of young people.


TECHNOLOGY

Primary Issue: “I think the strongest sources of influence on the youth I work with are…”

What’s Happening?
Young people do not create their world – they inherit it. This generation of young people has “grown up digital” and it wasn’t their idea. However, they have hit the ground running with it. Technology is the language youth live. They have “gone Google” before they experience their first day at school.

Youth leaders are decisive. All sectors in the sample named media and technology more often than family, teachers, mentors and youth workers as strong sources of influence. Acknowledging the role of technology in the lives of young people, youth workers are using social networking tools to promote their programs and stay plugged in. Youth leaders are also wary about how much is being consumed. Easy access to pornography and provocative postings are eroding former boundaries and setting off alarms. In response, youth workers are sometimes challenging their young people to monitor their behavior and think about the consequences.


CHURCH & CYO FULL TIMERS

What’s Happening?
Vocational youth ministry takes place in a wide range of settings; on campuses, in churches, on the street, at juvenile detention facilities and probation offices, in camps, in group homes, on sports teams, and many other places where adolescents are found. The research indicated some significant differences between those who work full-time in the church and those who do their ministry under the umbrella of a Christian Youth Organization (CYO). Of the 495 full-time vocational youth workers who participated in this project, 361 identified their ministry context as a local church and 134 said they worked in a CYO.


THREE CHEERS… FOR VOLUNTEERS!

What’s Happening?
The truth around the world is that a huge amount of youth ministry in congregations and communities is delivered by an often invisible army of unsung heroes. We label them “volunteers.” We admire them for the love and care they gift to teenagers.

No title… No business card… No office… No paycheck… No gas allowance… No professional development budget…

They are mentors, small group leaders, Sunday school teachers, coaches, cooks, bus drivers, tutors, hosts and hostesses and spiritual directors. Whatever their role, they serve out of a profound sense of calling and at considerable personal sacrifice.

It should be noted that our research methodology gave us access to volunteers who are connected to a participating youth pastor, youth ministry organization or denominational leader. They are likely supported and resourced. It is difficult to discern how our findings would change if we had been able to include those who work alone in small communities or congregations without encouragement and resources.


LOOKING BACK – FORMER VIEWS

What’s Happening?
Very few vocations last a lifetime - we make decisions, life moves on. A career in youth ministry poses many challenges. Those who currently work in youth ministry voiced difficulties in dealing with time management issues, finances, unsupportive supervisors and communities, and the overall erratic behavior of youth. When former youth workers were surveyed they recalled being affected by the same difficult issues, and at times to a greater extent then current youth workers. Are these the issues that push youth workers out of youth ministry?


GENDER MUSING

What’s Happening?
Men and women have significant agreement in most areas of the research. But some differences are worth noting. Women are more highly represented in part-time and volunteer work than men. When the salaries of those in full-time ministry are analyzed, in the primary salary zone, there is parity. However, a greater percentage of men than women are in the upper salary range. Women in youth leadership feel more time pressure than men. Male youth leaders are more likely to recognize and deal with on-line pornography and sexual experiences. More male church youth leaders see youth ministry as a life-long vocation than do women.


CHURCH COMPARISONS – MAINLINE & EVANGELICALS

What’s Happening?
Evangelical and mainline youth leaders belong where they serve. They see eye to eye on many of their practices, personal identities and organizational fit. They also perceive youth culture through a similar lens. Something else they hold in common is that they are highly influenced by their church cultures. Their beliefs reflect what they have been taught. The attitudes they hold toward the authority of the Bible have implications for their teaching and programs. Another mark that distinguishes them from each other is the institutional support they receive for their youth ministry.