There is no doubt that there’s a divide between Youth Pastor culture and youth culture in our world. Our students are steeped in a literal melting pot of worldviews, trends, issues, beliefs, styles, and probably much more. It can be a lot to handle and sift through. The good news is this is life for them. They live and breathe it day in and day out. More often than not, it is not the students who have a hard time getting a handle on the culture around them; it’s us as Youth Pastors, Youth Workers, or volunteers who have a hard time understanding and addressing the culture that surrounds our students.
So, where do we start? Where do you go to find out what’s happening? Maybe you use social media, and stalk follow a few accounts to see what’s happening. Maybe you Google some of the words or phrases you “overhear” on Wednesday or Sunday night, and it’s got you even more confused! Hopefully, this is something that you’ve thought about and even already have a plan for, but I will give three ideas to hopefully kickstart your youth culture engine!
- Meet with other Youth Workers:
You aren’t alone in the battle (this is a consistent theme in Youth Ministry). It’s easy to think you are on an island in ministry. It can be hard to know who to talk to or to feel like other pastors even want to talk, but the truth is that whether we want to or not isn’t the question; we all need to be in community with other pastors in our area who are going after the same goals. There may be some hurdles to overcome, like finding time (let’s be honest, we all have time if we make it a priority) or even getting over our own egos to let others in. The positives far outweigh any negatives here. Getting to know other Youth Workers in your area will help you find camaraderie because when you boil it all down to the basic thing, we are trying to reach students with the Gospel. Who knows, you may even find a new friend! Here in West Michigan, we have a group that meets twice a semester. Our goal is to let one of us share something that’s working for us in our ministry and see where it could help others (if you’re reading this and you live in or near West Michigan, join us at neverthesame.org/wmyw) - Stay informed:
This sounds like a no-brainer, but it can be hard to do well. The first step here is to get out of your office! Be where your students are. Experience some of the things they’re experiencing. These shared moments can be foundational to knowing and understanding the culture they’re surrounded by. Perhaps the next step is to use the internet to your advantage. I hesitate to offer this an option because it can be so easy for us to only use the internet. The problem with that is it can cause us to have a limited view of what’s going on. If you do go this route, do your best to find multiple resources that can help you see a topic from different perspectives. Do your due diligence in your research. Even then, verify what you think you’ve found with the next step. - Connect with specific students:
This is perhaps your best strategy! I know, I know, I’m asking you to interact with students! How dare I… Seriously though, if you want to be relevant in youth culture (and by relevant, I don’t mean wearing the best clothes or using slang correctly; I do mean knowing what’s going on and the issues surrounding your students so you can best address them and help them develop as disciples) you have to know your audience. Find students you know and trust and ask them to help you. One “aha” type moment of my Youth Ministry career has come from students revealing to me that the things I was teaching came from my perspective of their perspective. I was limiting myself to what I thought they thought, and I was missing the mark entirely. When I let students in and learned from them what they knew, didn’t know, and what they needed, I was able to become a better and more effective Youth Pastor.
Remember, just because it’s different and you don’t understand it doesn’t mean it’s instantly bad/wrong. Before you make judgments and take action on what you think you know, take time to get informed. We all need to stay relevant to some extent! Who knows, your efforts could help change the effectiveness of your ministry.
Kyle Wood
Director of Operations and Communication
Photo by Yan Berthemy on Unsplash