If you’re in Youth Ministry—either as a Director,
Coordinator, CORE, Volunteer, Parent, Pastor, you name it—maybe you’ve logged
onto Facebook and have seen a status like, “loved having bible study with 356
of our High School Freshman Tonight!” or “can’t wait to bring our 476 high
schoolers to camp this week!” and you may think, “ay yi yi yi yi… What are they doing, iPad giveaways to get
that many kids in the door?
Sheesh…” (I mean mean,
maybe. I don’t know.) However, keep this in mind when you’re
reading “stats” from fellow laborers in the vineyard.
1.
How big is your parish? This is a reality check I’m constantly taking
right now, having recently transitioned from a parish of 2500 to a parish of
about 450 families. While I definitely
hope to reach out to those not in our parish, it’s just not realistic to expect
hundreds—or even dozens—of kids to attend at first. So, when I get 12 kids to a youth night, I’m
doing a jig, because that is realistic for where I am. While it is important to keep numbers, be
sure that you’re evaluating them in a realistic framework.
2.
Kids are not numbers—they’re souls. We say it so often, but do we really take it
to heart? “Even if one person is
reached, this is all worth it” but when it’s the awkward kid walks through the
door with his friend—and you realize that might be your only attendees that
night—do you take that message to heart and adapt your plans, or phone it in,
running through the list of excuses for why the kiddos you expected are
no-shows? Be fully present to the kids
who are present.
3.
Be sure your pastor shares your vision. This goes without saying, but especially in a
smaller parish. If your pastor thinks
you’re going to form a group of 50 from a parish with 200 registered families,
you need to have a serious heart to heart about numbers… However, don’t be afraid to discuss
reasonable, concrete goals such as,
“this summer, we are going to get seven kids to camp and this is how we’ll do
it!
4.
Know when to hold’em, know when to fold’em. Sometimes, there’s just not enough
folks. A lock-in with two kids would be
awkward. Reschedule. A service project with two kids could provide
some great time for relational ministry.
My favorite example of this was the feisty Dominican Sister at my
previous parish who was undaunted at the thought of bringing almost as many
adults as teens to the March for Life (I think we had something like six kids
and five adults…) The next year, we had
a bus of 50. Thank goodness she wasn’t
afraid to just do something, rather than wait ‘til the next year “when there
was more interest”.
Thankfully, kids encounter Christ when He reaches out to
them—not when enough of their peers show up.
Pray hard, dig in and stop stressing over your friend’s updates. They live in like, New York City, and there’s
300 kids within walking distance of their Church.
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