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Small Town Youth Ministry

If Ford pickups are the only trucks allowed to park in the back row at the local high school, you might live in a small town. If you plan your youth ministry calendar around the local farmer’s jubilee, you might live in a small town. If Jeff Foxworthy is your favorite comedian, you might live in a small town.

Welcome to rural America, where the air is fresh (unless it’s fertilizer season), the people are real, and where students face similar struggles to those in urban and suburban areas. My community is Somerset, Penn., in the heart of agricultural America. We’re known for our maple syrup, our dairy and beef farms, and the resting place of those aboard United flight 93 on September 11. We love our land, our farms, and our communities. It’s a great place to live, and a great place to do youth ministry.

For those working in rural America (or possibly one day working there), it’s important to understand the unique characteristics of ministry here, because what works in the big city won’t necessarily fly on these plains and hills. That doesn’t mean youth ministry in rural America is backward or un-hip; it’s just different. If a youth worker— new to the rural life or a long time resident— is to succeed in ministry, you may want to keep a few things in mind.

Keep It Simple

In my first year in Somerset, I was in placed in charge of coordinating a VBS week for our entire high school. So I scheduled meetings with students for their input on a theme, t-shirt design, activities, and all sorts of brainstorms about how we could do it differently from the way they’d ever done before. We even came up with a video and skit intro for each night.

Well, our video didn’t work right, the skits didn’t go over well, and we tried to force the theme a little too much. We didn’t keep it simple. Rural American youth ministries don’t need a Newsboys laser show for their VBS week; they need God’s word presented to them in a setting with which they’re familiar.

I’m not saying rural teens are too simple- minded to engage in multi-faceted elements of a program. They just need God’s word presented in a way that’s meaningful. That doesn’t mean it has to be boring; neither is it an excuse for being lazy in your preparation. Eye-catching publicity is still a must; and rural kids know and can appreciate PowerPoint, too. It merely means that overly complicated multi-media productions are not always necessary.

We need to be creative and thoughtful, but it’s also important to stay within the character of your group. In rural America our resources can be limited, so we keep it simple and make the most of what we have.

Respect the Culture

Especially when new to the area, this is critical. Nothing will sabotage your efforts more than trying to change the culture of a community. My first year in Somerset was devoted to understanding how we did things, why we did those things, and who the point people were. I learned the “language” and the culture, and I changed little. For the most part, I just let things run as they always had, taking care to add my personality, passions, and priorities to the mix gradually . A year later, I’d gained the trust and support of the youth sponsors; now we’ll try anything together.

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:22-23, “I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.” All missionaries learn to avoid trying to change the culture of the community; they learn to respect the culture in order to minister effectively within it. Youth ministry works the same way, especially in a small town.

Adapt Your Strategies

Frustration sets in when we return from a great workshop, seminar, or conference and try to jam into our ministry the model that others use. I appreciate Doug Fields’ Purpose Driven Youth Ministry, because (regardless of how some might use that book) he tells us not to do what he does, but to think through the principles and adapt them to our situations.

Each September our church holds a special weeklong missions conference where furloughing missionaries share what’s happening in the field. Each day of the week is focused on a special group in the church. Our missions committee chose Friday night to be youth night. After receiving the notice, I went to those in charge and suggested that we move it to Saturday night. You see, on Friday nights in the fall in Pennsylvania the high school students are at one place: the football game. Between kids on the team, in the band, and those who go to watch the game, no one would’ve come to the church that night. Because we believed exposing our students to missions is important, we changed our strategy and had a great turnout.

As you attend seminars and conferences, don’t try to model the hot program; instead, find the transferable principles and plug them into your situation. Though the message doesn’t change, the methods do. The principles are what’s important; whether it’s win, build, equip, grow, discover, or celebrate, the idea is to have a strategy upon which to build your ministry—one that fits with your community.

Network with Local Ministries

It’s refreshing to connect with others who share the same passion for ministry. There are times when you feel like you’re all alone out there, and networking with other ministries is a great way to get a new perspective and new ideas.

When I came to town, I heard of this great guy E.J., who was running a good program. There was a tendency for me to feel threatened, like this guy was going to steal all our kids if I didn’t have a better program. So, I did two things. First, I told myself to quit being stupid; ministry is not about me. Second, I invited him to lunch to get to know him and hear his heart for ministry. We turned that lunch into a friendship and a partnership; our groups get together for combined events. All my petty fears and insecurities went away as I understood that we’re all in this together.

Get Involved on Campus

Much of rural America still offers the opportunity for youth workers to have access to the local junior and senior high schools. In fact, many are excited to have them involved. It’s still a place where religion has roots, which offers great opportunities for us in youth ministry. I’ve been invited to meet school faculty and staff, speak at special events, even coach athletics; in fact, this fall I’ll begin my third season as an assistant football coach.

My goal isn’t to preach to them while on campus; it’s to have a presence and be recognized. If you run any type of outreach event (or just have an open ministry), there’s a good chance a bunch of kids you don’t know will show up. Involvement on campus doesn’t have to be about Bible studies and fighting for student rights; it’s about rubbing shoulders with other people.

Small Town Characteristics

Along with some strategies for ministry in rural America, it’s important to understand some characteristics of these communities. Without understanding your community’s character, you could frustrate yourself even more. Here are a few things I’ve picked up on in the small communities where I’ve lived:

1. Change Happens…But Slowly

The pace of life in rural America is slow, and the majority of the population can be elderly. Imagine returning from the National Youth Workers Conference and announcing your new plans to enhance your ministry to draw in the masses; it’ll probably be met with blank stares and a hefty dose of resistance. It’s important to be patient; look for ways to inform your pastor, your helpers, and your parents of why you’re passionate about a certain type of programming and what you hope to accomplish. Ask questions of those who’ve been there a while: Will this work? How can we best accomplish it? Who can help me?

It’s easy to get frustrated by how long it takes for things to change, but youth ministry is all about investing in students’ lives. It’s not about hymns versus choruses; it’s about the truth found in both of these that set students free. Change will happen in rural America; it just may happen later rather than sooner.

2. Money and Time Is Precious

I can’t speak for every small town or rural community in America, but the ones I’ve been in have seen some hard times. If the economy is down across the country, it hits even harder in rural America. People work just as hard and just as long, if not longer, but get only half the wage. With a violent change in weather, our farmers can be set back months and lose crops. Money is precious to us, and so is our time.

In planning youth events, I keep in mind how much money we’re asking parents to dish out. I keep in mind how much time I’m asking our adult helpers to give up with their own families. Never take those two elements for granted. Find ways to compensate your volunteers (pay their registrations, buy their tickets), involve their families, find low- or no-cost events for students, stay local, and do fewer things (but do them better).

3. Family Matters

One of the endearing qualities of rural America is that family is important (and family is everywhere). Never underestimate the impact of not only immediate but also extended family on students’ lives. This sounds appropriate when we think about it, but our society is constantly putting the values and influences of friends and media ahead of the family.

Realize your place as a leader. You may be very influential in helping students in their discipleship journeys, but you probably won’t be the most influential figure in their lives. Your thoughts and teachings should be balanced with what are important to the family units and their priorities.

4. Plugged In

They get MTV, too. They’re involved in pop-culture, and the same forces that impact urban and suburban kids impact them, too. We have hip-hop kids, punks, skaters, and goths, in addition to the typical country boys. While our culture and pace of life may be different, the struggles and problems these kids face are just as real. They need to hear of the healing and transforming power of Christ, too.

Ben Distefano is a 12-year youth ministry veteran currently serving as the Youth Pastor & Pastor of Adult Ministries at Somerset Alliance Church in Somerset, Penn.