I don't always understand what ideas will and won't "work" in youth ministry. On Tuesday, I mentioned that a benefit to not growing up in church is that I don't have a pre-set notion of what has to be a part of a youth ministry. However, there's a flip side to that. Since I wasn't a part of a church or youth ministry as a teenager, I haven't experienced first-hand some of the great parts of youth ministry that's not always taught in seminary. Because of this, I rely heavily on our volunteers who were part of a (often our own church's) youth ministry as teenagers, as well as our student leaders.
I'm not always great at equipping parents and families. I have a three and a five year old, so becoming a parent has helped me in this area quite a bit. However, the fact that I didn't grow up in church means that I don't really know what it's like for families who are trying to raise Christ-centered teenagers. I think youth workers who had parents that really tried to disciple them as teenagers understand a lot better than I do how to help parents be the primary pastors to their kids.
It's difficult to view our youth ministry and church through the eyes of teenagers who have always been there. I don't know what it's like to grow up in church, so I don't always connect with the experience of the students in our group who are struggling to follow Jesus as high school students. In addition, I don't always do a great job of considering how to serve teenagers who genuinely want to be in church and in our youth ministry week in and week out.
