The Life of A Youth Minister

Few people could imagine what all this job entails. I'm often asked how I could POSSIBLY fill forty hours in a week. "What do you do?" is the question. A youth minister does everything a parish minister does, but on a smaller scale. A youth minister also does tons of other work that is totally disconnected from the normal life of most ministers.

I am an event planner, counselor, preacher, teacher, advertiser, fundraiser, small time handyman, comedian, theologian, professional volunteer, child care specialist (babysitter), and more. No two weeks are ever alike. I may spend hours on the phone and talking to people in crises, or building a Ga-Ga Ball pit on the church grounds. I have been on over 20 mission trips, totaling nearly six months of service work. 16 of those trips I planned, executed and led.

And all the while I'm planning for my weekly Bible studies and work at a church school. There are continuous jobs, things that you are constantly working on, like the Bible studies, and keeping up with acolytes, and then there are things that you can never plan for, like the death of a youth's parent, or someone in the depths of a drug problem.

But in many ways, this is the best ministry has to offer. So many ministers have to spend so much of their time administrating. While administration is as much a part of my job as anything else, it takes up much less time than the nuts and bolts of what every minister wants to do. I get to spend copious amounts of time in fellowship with others, playing games and reading and talking about scripture and the presence of God in the lives of those I lead. Counseling is a much bigger part of my job, than it is for many pastors, as many of my youth search for an older person other than their parents to lean on. I am constantly preaching and teaching, though on a smaller scale than a head pastor.

There are weeks that are difficult and frustrating, as with any job, but this is truly God's work, and a gift from Him to all who do it. It is a blessing and a grace to be able to do this kind of work and get paid for it. I get to spend my life helping others and I am recognized and supported financially for the fact. In that sense, my life is endlessly missional.

However, there have been costs. My family life is less than I'd like it to be, and I feel part of the reason I don't have children is that I have so many other people who truly need me and need my focus. The work is not usually hard but it can get very hard very fast without warning. Additionally, even when the work is not hard, there is a lot of it. It is the amount of work that is really difficult, not the intensity. There is a reason why the average 'life expectancy' of a youth minister at a job is 18 months.

The point of this post is not to complain, at all. I love my life. The costs are clearly worth the benefits and how many people get to say that about their lives? I implore you all, though, not to be confused as to why your youth minister's job is full time, and don't ever ask them, surprised, what they do in a week. They do a lot. Trust me.