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Staying Power: When the Door Looks Soooo Good

What's the average stay of a youth minister these days?

That was a question I recently asked a group of youth pastors gathered for our monthly encouragement session. As we went around the room I heard everything from three years to six months, with most guesses somewhere between 12 and 24 months. They all mentioned that they'd heard (or read) their figure somewhere, though no one could cite a specific source. Most of us have heard people throw figures around or have even thrown figures around ourselves when discussing youth minister longevity. In my experience, these conversations are usually heavy on opinions and thin on facts. It seems the most popular figure being tossed around in recent years is 18 months—the general conclusion being that youth ministers aren't really in it for the long haul. If this speculation is true then the majority of us have a lot to learn about staying power. We'd better get serious about identifying strategies that'll give us the strength to stick with our calling. We'd better figure out why we're now in and why we should stay in youth ministry.

Before we get our Palm Pilots out and strategize, we ought to answer the question at hand. Is the average youth pastor longevity really 18 months? Will Penner, editor of Youthworker Journal, and Rick Lawrence, executive editor of Group Magazine, both feel as if the 18-month "statistic" is inaccurate. When I found this out, I became inspired to begin my own investigation of the facts behind the tenure debate. I found three studies that had been done regarding youth ministers.

The Facts about Youth Minister Longevity

The first resource I uncovered was a 1996 survey entitled, "The National Study of Protestant Youth Ministers in America." This survey polled 2,130 full-time youth ministers from various denominations and parachurch organizations. This study served as the foundation for the conclusions made in Youth Ministry That Transforms (Zondervan, 2001). Chapter one in this text clearly states that, "There is a much longer tenure for the average youth minister than has been assumed." Dave Rahn, director of the Link Institute for Faithful and Effective Youth Ministry, acknowledged that this study didn't directly address the issue of longevity by saying, "…we cannot talk about whether youth pastors shift from one job to another in a certain period of time. We simply did not measure that." This study did, however, give insight into the longevity issue. Rahn summarized with these words, "Two things were true: a) we could not find the research anywhere to support the 18 month figure; and b) our research suggests that there is a lot of career stability in youth ministry. We need to at least stop talking about the 18 month window."

The second study I found was conducted by Group Magazine and was a scientific survey of North American churches of various denominations. They published the facts in a brief article called "The 18 Month Myth," which appeared in their Jan/Feb 2000 issue. Through their research they discovered that the average paid youth minister has 4.2 years of experience, and the average paid youth minister has been at the same church for 3.9 years (not just eighteen months). In the article, Rick Lawrence called the 18-month statistic, "a ghost vampire not even Buffy can kill."

Finally, an interdenominational study was conducted of current and former U.S. youth ministers who were members of the National Network of Youth Ministries. The results were compiled and presented in an article entitled "Factors Influencing Job or Career Changes among Youth Ministers," by Jonathan Grenz, assistant professor of youth ministries at North American Baptist Seminary. The article was published in the Journal of Youth Ministry in the fall of 2002 and was focused on the exploration of the factors that influence youth ministers to change church employers or leave vocational ministry altogether. Their original sampling of 247 youth ministers dwindled to 154 usable questionnaires due to unavailability or part-time status. The final survey group consisted of 89 current and 65 former youth ministers. This study was unique in that it addressed youth ministers who had left the ministry, yet consisted of a significantly smaller group of current youth ministers than the pool used by "The National Study of Protestant Youth Ministers in America." Even still, patterns revealed that youth ministers stayed in one church position for an average of 4.65 years. Grenz stated that this study seemed to dismiss the much quoted 18-month tenure of youth ministers.

Is There Really a Tenure Problem?

Okay, so maybe our assumptions about youth ministers aren't as accurate as we first thought; but that leaves me wondering a few things: Where did the 18-month statistic come from anyway? Why do so many nod their heads when they hear it, and begin listing off colleagues who've flown the coop? Why do people look at me like I'm a conspiracy theorist when I tell them that youth ministers around the world aren't just trashing their careers after a year and a half? If we don't need to defend ourselves against that statistic then why should we even talk about the issue of longevity? The best answer I can come up is that there really is a problem. If there are perceived tenure problems then there are problems—no matter what the statistics say. Maybe the trouble is that we've been focusing on the wrong things. We've been focusing on statistics that tell us how long we ought to be able to hang in there (on average) instead of finding a way to reduce or eliminate the issues at the root of church or career shifts. I say, big deal if you've been at your ministry for five years and you've beaten the odds. I want to know what's going to keep you there for five more years.

Misconceptions about Job Transitions

Before we talk about root issues we have to address some of the most popular misconceptions about why youth ministers leave their posts:

Misconception #1: Youth ministers are immature and can't commit.

I find it hard to believe that youth ministers in general have an inability to make long-term commitments. In fact, I resent comments like that. I'm married and I have two kids, and no one questions my long-term commitment to them. I don't think I'm the exception when it comes to youth ministers.

Misconception #2: Youth ministers only have a few tricks.

Again, I find it difficult to believe that youth ministers leave churches simply because their bag o' tricks is empty after 18 months. Ministers that leave for this reason need to drop the bag and discover the Internet. There are thousands of new ideas, games, videos, liturgies, illustrations, devotionals, and youth talks online and ready to download.

Misconception #3: Youth ministry is a stepping-stone to becoming a "real" pastor.

Maybe this one was true back in the day, but today youth ministry is a thriving career. Mike Collison, in his article, "Seven Trends to Watch in the Next Decade" (Youthworker, Jan/Feb 2000), revealed that the teen population is expected to grow at twice the rate of the rest of the population during the next decade. He also estimated that by the year 2010 there will be approximately 30.8 million teenagers here in the U.S. (900,000 more than ever before). If you ask me, that sounds like some serious job security.

I believe all these misconceptions are based on a subtle lack of respect for the position of youth minister, and that lack of respect is what Strommen, Jones, and Rahn, in their book Youth Ministry That Transforms, identified as one of the main issues disturbing youth ministers today.

The Real Issues

In the research for Youth Ministry That Transforms, the authors uncovered several concerns troubling youth ministers, such as: time conflicts between job demands and personal needs, time conflicts between administrative duties and the need for youth contact, a prevailing disconnect between students and the church to which they belong, a disinterested and apathetic youth group, a salary inadequate to support a family, and a youth budget too spare for needed programmatic activities.

Grenz, in his research with the National Network of Youth Ministers, echoed some of these same concerns as reasons youth pastors leave their churches, citing inadequate salaries, greater opportunities for successful work in new positions, conflict with senior pastors, unhealthy spiritual environments within the church, and disillusionment with their present local churches. Grenz also went on to cite reasons why youth ministers left the ministry all together, which include changing vocational interests and changing understanding of their callings.

I can identify in very specific ways to many of these concerns, and I'll even admit that those same concerns played into my departure from a church. But frankly, I hate the whole us vs. them mentality. I'll say here that if youth ministers have lost respect, it's probably from us doing stupid things. Maybe it's time we start proving our competence by the way we lead. I believe that there are important factors that lie beneath these concerns troubling youth ministers.

The Roots of the Issues

We must dig beneath the surface even deeper to discover the actual roots of these concerns if we want to equip ourselves for true longevity in youth ministry. I see four major issues, which when properly addressed, may even further increase the tenure of youth ministers:

Root #1: Underestimating the task at hand.

I once took a job as a business account executive selling wireless phones for one of the largest cellular corporations in America. I lasted about five months. Actually, it only took me five days to realize that I was in the wrong line of work, not to mention the fact that I was in way over my head. 21-year-old grads, at least some of them, are stepping into churches unprepared for what they're about to encounter.

Traditionally, youth ministry seems to be the home for younger pastors who are still green and need to cut their teeth in ministry. If we're funneling all the newbies into youth ministry, what should we realistically expect regarding tenure? Without a doubt there'll be many who'll drop out or shift their focus from youth ministry once they realize the depth of what they've gotten themselves into (or once they realize who they really are and what they're designed to do—as I did with my sales job). That process should be okay. I'd like to know what the tenure statistics are for other jobs that people take right out of college.

Root #2: Inadequate training.

Most youth ministers my age or older will agree that they were unprepared for what lay ahead when they walked in the door of their first church. Thankfully, I had a mentor/supervisor who guided me, gave me books to read, helped me lay the groundwork, and worked alongside me.

The youth ministry major is a fairly new entity. Many colleges and universities are just now ramping up their youth ministry programs, and this means today's college grads with youth ministry degrees will be far more prepared than similar grads were even five or ten years ago. I believe this is good news for the longevity of tomorrow's newbies.

Root #3: Poor self leadership—unclear personal vision.

Last week I talked with a college junior and youth ministry major. He told me that he wasn't sure if he really had the love for students that he needed in order to be a youth pastor. I've been there. I've asked myself that same question many times (usually after I bomb a talk or sense the students didn't quite catch what I was trying to say). Instead of giving up at those times, I simply kept asking the question. One day the Lord finally showed me that I wouldn't be frustrated if I didn't love them. It was perseverance through that cloudy time in my life that allowed me to clarify my vision for working with students.

Until we learn to understand and lead ourselves, we'll never be able to lead others. I think this is often played out when a youth minister becomes overly excited about a job opportunity and, consequently, is unable to see that it isn't a proper fit for his personal giftedness. Next thing you know he's complaining about time constraints and how the church board doesn't share his same philosophy. If you know yourself well enough, you won't take a job with a church that doesn't see eye to eye with you on key issues.

Root #4: Lack of a reflective lifestyle.

Let's face it, most of us are prone to burnout (and, no…more Mountain Dew isn't the answer). The fact is, youth ministry doesn't often lend itself to moments of quiet reflection. More and more of our programs are shifting in this direction, but behind the scenes of an evening of quiet meditation, Power Point images of Christ, and sweetly scented candles is a youth minister who's working hard to make sure everything comes off as planned.

If the job of youth ministry requires such a frantic pace, we must find a way to quiet ourselves and prioritize personal solitude instead of just blaming churches for burning us out with unrealistic time expectations. Youth workers need to come to grips with their own needs and find a spiritual director who'll help them on their personal journeys (before they journey right on down the road to another church or out of ministry all together).

"A Closer Look…"

I'm not implying that these are the only roots of the perceived tenure problems in youth ministry, nor am I suggesting a simplistic solution to a complex issue. I'm only recommending that we take a closer look at what's beneath all the talk about youth minister longevity and that we strategize and share ideas about how we can continue to minister to teens.

Joe Neill is the junior high student journey designer at Westwinds Community Church in Jackson, Michigan. He has been involved in youth ministry for seven years.