Subscribe to the NetworkCultivate a Strong Relationship with Your Pastor
Whether you have been a staff member for a short time or for more years than you care to count, you already know that getting along with your pastor can be trying. Maybe you serve with a pastor who has not expressed his expectations. Maybe because he has not or cannot express his expectations, the two of you are at a loggerhead. Having been on both sides of the fence, I think I can help.
It’s All About the Team
Whether on a professional football team or a church staff, the quickest way to create problems is to be a grandstander. By the nature of student ministry, it is easy to create a church within a church. Most student ministers are gregarious and can easily draw a crowd of students. They also generally have great influence over the attitudes of both students and their parents. This precious influence must never be used to create and “our church/their church” mentality. The church is a single organism growing toward one goal, which the pastor must set, with the Holy Spirit’s leading. The growth must express itself in multiple ways, but is must always be toward the goal, Remember, it’s all about the team.
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise – NOT!
The 1960’s comedic character Gomer Pyle may have made us laugh with his trademark line, “Surprise, surprise, surprise,” but no pastor likes surprises. The last thing a pastor wants is to learn, as he enters the worship center is that the student ministry will be doing a five-minute skit during the service to promote the upcoming mission trip. Oftentimes, student ministers can avoid these scenarios by not flying by the seat of his pants. Save the surprises for the pastor’s 50th birthday. Keep the pastor informed.
Walking the Tightrope
Student ministers have one of the most difficult balancing acts to perform. Much like a circus star walking the high wire under the big top, those who work with students must walk the tightrope of games and growth. To do so requires incredible balance. Certainly, student ministry should be fun and appealing, but at the same time leaders should build it upon the biblical mandate to make disciples. Your goal as a student minister should be to develop teenagers who are conformed to the image of Christ.
Because church members generally evaluate ministers and ministries solely by numbers, many student ministers feel pressured to turn student ministry into an entertainment world. Do not give in to that temptation. Most pastors want to know that their student minister understands the biblical goal of ministry, has planned to accomplish that goal, is walking with balance the tightrope of games and growth. If your pastor is confident your ministry is balanced, he will defend you before the naysayers.
The Three Rs: Realizing, Reading, and Registering
The three Rs of ministry are realizing, reading, and registering. Most pastors are committed to lifelong learning, and they want the same commitment from their staff. In ministry you must realize that learning can never really end.
You do not have a corner on the market of knowledge. It does not matter how successful you deem your ministry to be; there is always something else to learn. Read incessantly. Read for professional development.
Register for student ministry conferences. There are plenty led by student ministers whose experience and expertise will help you grow and improve. In fact, surprise your pastor (there are some pleasant surprises) by developing and presenting to him an annual learning plan. In your learning plan include the books you will read and the conferences you will attend. Let your pastor know you are growing with him.
Maybe your ministry situation is not healthy. Possibly you are at fault. Ask the Lord and your pastor for forgiveness. Maybe your pastor is the guilty party. If so, extend the olive branch of forgiveness and friendship and realize that if the staff is not getting along – the church never will.
