Shutting Down Your Youth Ministry

Have you ever thought about doing this? I’m not talking about shutting it down, closing the doors and never opening them again. What I’m talking about is shutting down your youth ministry over Christmas break, march/spring break, easter weekend, or over the summer.

I’m seeing this more and more and as I speak to youth workers, this is not just denominational specific. This is

Design this, you have time to plan for your youth group.

happening right across denominational lines.

The reasons for this epidemic of shutting our youth ministry down are from paid  and volunteer youth workers:

• i don’t have the resources
• i’m not a paid youth worker
• i have a family
• i have vacation
• we are giving the kids a break
• we give pour volunteers a break
• most of our students go away at this time
• what's your reason?

My response:

• your kids don’t care about resources, they care about you in their life.
• you have not been a paid your worker the rest of the year.
• did you have a family the rest of the year?
• take your vacation. enjoy and rest. let someone else take the lead for the youth ministry.
• kids and youth workers take breaks all the time when they can’t make it out during the rest of the year.
• most of your students going away is not ALL. You need to get over the numbers game your playing and address this with God. It’s not about most but about one.

The one thing I know about youth workers, paid or volunteer, is that you are creative enough to over come obstacles. Just because the school calendar tells us that their is no school does not give us the right to say to our students that God has entrusted to us that their is no youth group scheduled.

There are many reason why youth workers honestly cancel youth group and here are three I have seen:

• insecurity
• control
• greed

Surprise your kids and church by not cancelling your youth group over break. Create a new plan and involve your students to help you accomplish it. They will surprise you, guaranteed! 

Pray and ask God:

Do what ever it takes in me

for your kingdom

for my freedom

so that others may see Jesus