Back to Getting Results

Are You an Ambitious Youth Worker?

Let’s face it: youth ministry is a career. It’s a profession you take quite seriously—or else you wouldn’t be reading this journal. And for all the noble, unselfish reasons for being a youth worker, it’s still a job. You draw a salary (in a manner of speaking), and there’s a ladder you can climb. Youth ministry—however you define it—is a crucial part of who you are. And it plays a big part in what you’re striving to become.

With this in mind, we racked the brains of some youth workers, quizzing them about ambition—their ambitions, specifically. We asked if ambition has a place in their youth ministries. We had them ponder the possibility of leaving youth ministry to become senior pastors. And we broached the subject of competition between their youth groups and neighboring ones. Here’s how they responded.

Is there a place for ambition in your youth ministry?

A complete lack of ambition will cause a ministry to grow stale and stagnant. Growth, whether spiritual or numerical, can’t occur without some desire or drive. Ambition supplies both. While Christ was on earth, he gave his church some specific goals. But no goal can be reached or even approached without some amount of ambition.

Ambition can also be taken too far. When a hunger for high attendance takes so many of your resources that the needs of those attending aren’t met, ambitious outreach has gone too far. When other ministries in the church are drying up because of your agenda, ambition for your ministry has gone too far. There must be a balance.
—Kevin Atkins, Newchurch, Oklahoma City, Okla.

I believe strongly that youth workers should be ambitious for the kingdom of God. Christ’s command to "go into all the world" is an ambitious commission. We should work to advance God’s kingdom and work with other churches in our communities to present the gospel to our teens.

Ambition for the sake of building our own personal kingdoms is misplaced, though. It’s possible to build a successful youth group with ambitious marketing and charisma, but building God’s youth ministry in your church means submitting your personal ambitions to God.

Our vision should be to develop teens who are devoted followers of Jesus Christ—also an ambitious goal—and to communicate the gospel with as many teens as possible, in as creative ways as possible, so that we might win some to Christ. If more of us were ambitious for the gospel, our world would be a reflection of Christ’s work in and through us.
—Darren DeGraaf, Brant Bible Church, Burlington, Ont.

Ambition has an important place in my ministry. I want passionately to see teenagers growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ. I want them to develop their ministry skills, their prayer commitment, their knowledge of God’s word, and passion for reaching their peers. Yes, I think I’m ambitious in my ministry.
—Doug Hallock, United Evangelical Free Church, Klamath Falls, Ore.

Webster’s Dictionary defines ambition as "eager desire for success or power." I believe that if you don’t have a godly desire for success (which isn’t measured in numbers, but in strong relationships and disciples), then how can you expect your youth ministry to grow?
—Michael Wilson, Christ the King Church, Dyersburg, Tenn.

Yes, there’s always room to do the very best you can and to strive to be the best person you can be—if this is indeed the definition of ambition.

These goals, however, must always be balanced with 1 Cor. 1:26ff: God is looking for those who put no stock in their own strength so that he can strengthen them—and have the glory. There is a place for Godly ambition in youth ministry, but there is no place for selfish ambition.
—Graeme Codrington, Honeyridge Baptist Church, Randpark Ridge, South Africa

Absolutely. The trick is to define ambition. If it’s ambition for personal glory, than you’re in the wrong business. If your ambition is to introduce more teens to the man known as Jesus of Nazareth, then I’d say your ambition is well placed.
—Greg Shore, The Church of the Holy Communion, Charleston, S.C.

Ambition is the desire to do and be the best one can be. It involves vision, planning, and brutal honesty with yourself. To me, ambition has two aspects when connected to youth ministry: the first is ambition for the ministry; the second is personal ambition. I believe that if there isn’t balance between the two, you’re bound to feel used or resentful at some point.

Ambition for youth ministry means constantly seeking to deepen community; speaking up for and giving youths opportunities to serve and be served within the church, and listening to kids and leading them to a deeper understanding of God, themselves, and others.

Ambition for myself means being my own advocate; asking my church to change my job description as the ministry grows, and asking for more hours, a salary increase, and other needs as the responsibilities of the ministry increase.
—Deborah Jenkins, revdeb@ix.netcom.com

There’s a lot of room for ambition in my youth group because many of the youths and adults want everything done for them. There’s no ambition for Christ or for the church. When I provide opportunities for them to take a project and run with it, I often find myself picking up the pieces because, as some say: "I didn’t have a chance to get to it."
—Derick R. Dickens Ddickens@musom02.mu.wvnet.edu

Would you ever leave youth ministry for a senior pastorate?

Yes. I believe that youth ministry is only a stepping stone for me. It has given me a lot of experience in a wide variety of church-related issues, but God is moving me onward.
—Derick R. Dickens, Ddickens@musom02.mu.wvnet.edu

Youth ministry is a specific calling—not a stepping stone. My attitudes, physical attributes, sleep habits, upbringing, and spiritual training have all been carefully orchestrated by my creator to make me the youth minister I am today. And until he tells me to take a senior pastorate, I will remain busy at my calling—youth ministry.

I’ll never understand why youth ministry is sometimes considered an entry level position for the senior pastorate. After all, when those people designed to be senior pastors take a youth ministry, they are cheating everyone: they’re cheating themselves by not entering the senior pastorate; they’re cheating those they should be pastoring; they’re cheating the youths who should have a different youth pastor, and they’re cheating the youth pastor who should be there instead. We shouldn’t fill positions to which God hasn’t called us.
—Kevin Atkins, Newchurch, Oklahoma City, Okla.

In seminary classes I heard about the average time youth workers spend at a church (18 months back then) and the "stepping stone" mentality. I, of course, vowed never to use youth ministry as a stepping stone for either bigger youth ministries or adult ministries.

But after being in youth ministry for four years, I appreciate certain realities. It’s incredibly difficult (if not impossible) for a 22-year-old to become a senior pastor or even an assistant adult pastor right off the bat. Therefore many who see those ministry positions as their calling often enter youth ministry to get there. Though their zeal may not be for youths primarily, I’ve met many pastors who also had established powerful youth ministries. And since we many times develop "sub-congregations" within churches, youth ministry can be a great place to gain ministry experience.

I was challenged recently to consider church planting. While my vow was never to use youth ministry as a stepping stone, I struggle with whether I should leave a ministry for which I’m well trained and which has been blessed by God to start a new and different endeavor.
—Darren DeGraaf, Brant Bible Church, Burlington, Ont.

No. My calling is to work with youths and their families. I have great difficulty with people who use youth ministry as a stepping stone to the pastorate. If you want to work with adults, you aren’t going to do much good for teens. Do what you’re called to do.
—Deborah Jenkins, revdeb@ix.netcom.com

If I felt God leading me to do so, yes. But I believe God wants me right here where I love to work—with teens. And I feel like that’s going to be the case for a long time.
—Doug Hallock, United Evangelical Free Church, Klamath Falls, Ore.

No, I don’t think I would. I believe the Lord has called and gifted me as a communicator to young adults, and I can only effectively minister to them as a youth pastor. I’m not closed to the possibility, however, that the Lord may one day use me in a senior pastorate. But I still don’t believe that youth ministry is a valid stepping stone to that position.
—Graeme Codrington, Honeyridge Baptist Church, Randpark Ridge, South Africa

Yes, eventually I believe I will end up a senior pastor, but only because I’ve known that since I was a teen. I only recently felt the call to youth ministry (about three years ago—versus the 10 years I’ve felt the senior pastor calling). I’m not using youth ministry as a stepping stone, though. I’m only fulfilling the destiny that God has for me right now, and I will not leave youth ministry until God says so. But even when I become a senior pastor, I will always have a heart for kids—and hopefully I’ll be an asset to my youth pastor when I remember how tight my youth ministry budget was!
—Michael Wilson, Christ the King Church, Dyersburg, Tenn.

Have you experienced over-competitiveness between your youth group and a neighboring one?

Yes. There is competitiveness between our youth group (a very new one) and a very established group in our area. But usually the competitive spirit doesn’t come from within our group—it comes from congregation members who don’t help with the youths.
—Derick R. Dickens, Ddickens@musom02.mu.wvnet.edu

The best thing that’s happened in our area is a youth ministry network. We hold local meetings in which youth pastors are given a chance to encourage each other, get real about youth ministry, pray, and plan combined events.

While our events often include a healthy amount of competition, we have limited competition because we’ve already committed ourselves to the work of Christ in our community rather than our personal achievements. We discuss our ministries and we discuss students. We’re also open with each other about the students who change ministries in our area (and often laugh since they’re the ones who come out just to cause trouble or look for dates).

As it happens, my ministry is one of the area’s larger ones. But the other youth workers know that my commitment is to reach unreached teens—not steal theirs. Part of my commitment to other ministries is building them up when I talk about them. And when we have combined events, my fellow youth pastors and I openly encourage and demonstrate our respect for one another. These things have gone a long way in preventing negative competition between youth ministries in our community.
—Darren DeGraaf, Brant Bible Church, Burlington, Ont.

No, but I have been envious of other youth groups’ numbers. I’m especially troubled hearing about the success my old youth group is having. I’m really excited that they’re moving, but I just wish God would have chosen me to be the one to take them where they’re going. At any rate, I believe God wanted me as the forerunner of the new youth pastor, and that is a comfort—as well as this saying: you can accomplish anything as long as you don’t care who gets the credit.
—Michael Wilson, Christ the King Church, Dyersburg, Tenn.

I’ve not experienced this. In fact I’ve tried to work with other groups in the area. Lives are too precious to waste them squabbling.
—Deborah Jenkins, revdeb@ix.netcom.com

I’ve never experienced competition between my ministry and another. But I have counseled with youth ministers from rural areas who said competition ruined all chances of any youth ministry reaching any teen in the entire town.

Coaches know that competition can be a good motivator. But when too much competitiveness ruins your chances of recruitment, you’ve succeeded only in defeating yourself. Some of us need to realize that we are all on the same team.

In one of my previous ministries, the church was very traditional—and some visiting youths were uncomfortable with that. But I was confident enough in other local ministries to recommended one I thought they could have fun with.

This time, my ministry has a very casual, relaxed, nontraditional atmosphere. But some visiting families feel the need for a more traditional setting. Rather than watch them aimlessly search for another church, I recommend more traditional churches in the area. With this teamwork approach, ministries can grow and the needs of everyone can get met.
—Kevin Atkins, Newchurch, Oklahoma City, Okla.