Youth Ministry Stereotypes

Yesterday I came to work in dress pants and a collared business shirt because I work in a corporate style building and I was meeting with a few staff from other departments. Today I sit here writing this in jeans, a “youthy” t shirt and my sneakers. Whilst I could get away with jeans on a casual Friday, it got me thinking about the image of a Youth Ministry Coordinator. What should a youth minister wear to work? Should a youth minister be trying to impress the youth or impress the boss? Those of us in youth ministry think about how we present what we do, how we dress and who we try to make an impression on.

What are the youth ministry stereotypes? One of the funniest things that I have see in a long time about youth minister stereotypes is an article by Jonathon Acuff titled “Wondering how youthtastic your youth minister is.” Jonathon asks the reader to give their youth minister a score for each “youthtastic” stereotype they fulfil on his list. Here are three of my favourites:

101. Knows how to multiply cheap pizza almost as well as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fish. = +3 points

103. Is often asked by parents, “What do you do all week?” = +3 points

109. Had someone in the church ask, “Do you think someday you’ll want to be a ‘real’ minister?” = +10 points

Here is my list of four Youth Ministry Stereotypes you need to protect yourself from:

1. Youth Ministry Coordinators are disorganised – recently a Youth Ministry Coordinator that I think is a real expert advised me to be super organised. He said that you can get more money out of the finance team if they think you manage money well. If you are organised with a plan for an event, have a good budget and keep receipts you will get further with people higher up the organisation, i.e. the people who run the parish or school.
2. Youth Ministry Coordinators need to keep up with the latest trends – believe it or not there are effective youth ministry coordinators who aren’t on facebook and twitter. Many youth ministry coordinators have realised that the youth subcultures change but the role of discipleship remains constant. To break this stereotype focus on the young people and their relationship with Jesus, not what songs they download or what they wear.
3. Rock music and entertainment is the key to drawing in young people – Many people think that the “Big Evangelical churches” draw young people in with rock music and entertainment. Yet when you go to these churches they have a discipleship focus that runs deeper than the first impression. Doug Fields once said that youth ministry can’t out entertain the world. In your ministry work towards making a lasting impression rather than just a good first impression.
4. You have to start Youth Ministry with Pizza – there are youth ministries that run very effectively without offering food. Many young people like pizza and will eat it if you provide it, but are they coming for the pizza or the relationships? Another Youth Ministry Coordinator said to design your youth ministry program for growth. He said that you can’t buy enough pizza for 100 people or take them all bowling so don’t make it part of the program when you only have 20 regulars.

We all encounter stereotypes in ministry. As a young intern or parish volunteer become aware of these stereotypes so that you can break the mould and be a unique gift to the Church.