I often get calls from our churches as they look for their next youth pastor. While I would love to have a massive list of young men who are ready to step into that role, I simply do not. I try to help, but we have fewer young men stepping into ministry than we have had in the past. That is frustrating. I would love to be able to say, “Hey, I have the guy that would be perfect for you.” However, I will always help where I can. I believe that there are two things that we can do:
• Challenge your young men to consider a call to the ministry. Some have never considered it. I am not saying that we need to be the Holy Spirit in their lives, but we do need to help them look at a future they may have never thought of.
• Look within your own congregation. We are prone to look beyond our congregation, but some of the best student ministry workers I have known started as volunteers in their student ministry.
Whether you are looking inside or outside your local congregation, be sure to look beyond the outward qualities and impressive resumes. Look at the inward man and develop a hiring process that focuses on those characteristics. You might say, “That sounds good, but what am I looking for?” Let me give you five important characteristics of any student ministry worker you want to bring on board:
• Willingness — In a desire to have someone working with our students, we will try to talk people into serving. While we may want people to consider serving with students, we should not talk them into it. It takes a special breed of crazy to work with students regularly. It is challenging work that involves emotional and spiritual battles. If someone simply wants to make a few extra bucks each week to teach the teenagers in church, then that is the wrong person.
• Lifetime Learner — We believe every student ministry worker should be constantly learning. Last week, we talked about reading. Whether it is reading, formal education or a conference, the men and women in student ministry should be growing. That comes from a teachable attitude.
• Biblically Motivated — God’s Word is at the heart of what we do with students. We help them grow in their understanding and knowledge. We believe that it is transformative. As you look for a youth pastor, that individual needs to be invested in understanding and staying true to God’s Word. They don’t have to have a Bible college or seminary degree, but they do need to be growing and learning.
• Relational — One of the best things that your potential student pastor candidate can be is relationally minded. They can be introverted, but they need to recognize the value of relationships between students and leader-student connections. Student ministry isn’t just about the platform and events. It is about the intentional discipleship of students as they grow in their relationship with Jesus. Relationships help in that process.
• Team-Minded — The student ministry worker needs to have a team mindset. Student Ministry is a part of the church, not the sole ministry of the church. The student ministry worker is leading a portion of the ministry, and it should never take over the whole. Your potential candidate should focus on building a team of volunteers and working in conjunction with the rest of the church.
Finding the right person to lead your student ministry can be daunting, but it is important to choose the right person. If you want to hire another pastor, be sure to look to I Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 for the qualities that you need to focus on. Be sure to saturate the entire process with prayer.
If you are looking for a student ministry worker/youth pastor, you can reach me at info@studentminsitrymatters.com. We can work together to find the right person for you.
