Recruiting and Raising a Children’s & Youth Minister
Jesus said, “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few”, and that is still the case because the gospel harvest is as plentiful as there are people - and there is a lot of people! The good news is that there are many churches looking for children's and youth ministers for the gospel harvest. Or more precisely, many churches are looking for a children's and youth minister who’s learnt how to do effective children's and youth ministry. The bad news is… there are more churches looking than there are children’s and youth ministers to fill positions.
So how do you recruit and raise for the harvest?
You might put a job advertisement out through your networks and online, but often they're hard to come by when there's more jobs than ministers. You might try recruiting from a theological College and looking for those about to graduate, but colleges don't actually send people into ministry, churches do - that’s where God’s people are. Churches are the gatherings of God's people, and that's where ministers are raised up and sent. In fact, theological colleges will be the first things to go if churches stop growing or lose their gospel centre, because there will be no gospel people to go into gospel ministry. Colleges partner with churches in training and equipping those people sent by churches.
“Churches are the gatherings of God’s people, and that’s where ministers are raised up and sent.”
At Youthworks College, we do this by integrating biblical and theological study with a three day a week ministry placement in a church or school so that theological study informs a student's ministry practice in real time. This is the most effective way to equip people, raised up by churches, to do effective children's and youth ministry back in the local church.
So, again, how do you recruit and raise up a children's and youth minister for the harvest?
Here's 4 simple tips:
1. Look in.
If ministers come from churches, then the first place to look is in your church. Who are the members of God's people in your church who have the faithful character, humble teachability, and aptitude for ministry? Have a good look, a real good look in your church. Not just for the youngest, most enthusiastic, available person you can find to do children's and youth ministry. Instead, be creative. Are there retirees or people in their 50's or 60's whose children have already grown up? Those who have already done 20 years of children's and youth ministry in their own household, now have years of experience, Christian maturity, and perhaps the financial security that will afford them the opportunity to now be equipped for full-time ministry?
2. Look out.
If you can't find someone in your church who's suitable, then look out around you. Relationships matter when it comes to challenging people to consider vocational ministry. So, do you have a partnership with another local church down the road who may have someone to train and serve with you? If not, you may have to get more creative (and shrewd). Perhaps join up with a beach mission team, or lead on a CMS or CRU camp. Regular participation in a para-church ministry means you'll get to form relationships of trust with a cohort of people who are already showing aptitude and eagerness for ministry leadership. You might also find the person you’re looking for by being involved in an MTS recruit event.
3. Look up.
Looking in and looking out may yield some fruit, but you also need to lift your eyes to take the long and strategic view of raising people in your church for ministry. The term "leadership pipeline" may be a little too simplistic given all the variables and complexities of church life (who hasn't invested significantly in raising up leaders only to see them move on, or beset by some prohibitive issue?), but the idea of a pipeline is still worth holding on to. Having a pipeline means that you're at least thinking about the stages of development for raising up leaders to go into ministry. Going along with your young people to LiT, partnering with Year 13, attending training events, and other ministry opportunities. These are all the kinds of things that not only form part of an effective children's and youth ministry, but will help raise up candidates for effective children's and youth ministry.
4. Look down.
Last, but by no means least, is to bow your head, get on your knees, and pray regularly to the Lord of the harvest to raise up workers for his harvest field. This was the conclusion of Jesus himself - pray. Ask God to raise people up. This is something to practice as you look in, look out and look up. It's the exercise of faith in Jesus to fulfil the mission of God through his people as they are sent by churches and equipped in partnerships with colleges like Youthworks College.