Other than a few situations where I've had to remove a leader for disciplinary reasons, I don't think I've ever turned away a leader. However, I have had my fair share serve for a season (a semester or a year), then quietly fade into the sunset by politely declining to continue to be a part of our team. Sometimes, that person has let me know why they are leaving.
I've finally come to a realization (it only took me about eight years!) that not everyone's gifts match up with youth ministry. A big part of that realization is that it's up to me to help people serve in ways that they are gifted, and that sometimes that means helping people come to the realization that they probably wouldn't be a great fit in the youth ministry.
This isn't a knock on the person that we might suggest explore other options when it comes to serving. Instead, it's an affirmation that God has gifted that person to serve. When we view a person through the lens of "how can he or she fit in youth ministry," we do not really serve that person. It takes a lot more time and maturity to help a person serve in a place that honors the fact that God has wired and gifted them to serve in a unique way. Sometimes that means recognizing that youth ministry wouldn't be a great fit. And sometimes, it recognizes that though a potential volunteer might be a great asset in your youth ministry, God perhaps has something different in store for that person. Chad (our junior high pastor) and I have begun to think through some of these issues. We've even toyed with having all potential volunteers take a personality assessment to better understand who they are before we place them in a particular area of ministry.
QUESTIONS: How do you match up leaders with what they're good at or how God has wired them to serve? What are some tough lessons you've learned or things that have really helped you along the way?
