the Monday Morning Debrief: Student Ministry Rescue

I’m a big fan of a TV show on Spike called, “Bar Rescue”.  It follows a Bar Consultant named Jon Taffer who has “rescued” hundreds of bars around the nation.  Jon is called in to bars that were once thriving, but now months away from shutting its doors forever.  In order to rescue the bars, Jon brings in his team of 3 consultants (they vary from week to week) who focus on areas of hospitality, cooking and bar-tending.  It’s not always easy for Jon and his team as the Bar owners and staffers can sometimes be resistant to the changes that need to take place.  However, if they listen to Jon and the team, the bar is normally rebranded and returns to profitability very quickly.  It’s a fascinating show.

So how does a show about rescuing defunct bars apply to Youth Ministry?

Sometimes our student ministry needs to be rescued. Maybe your attendance is really low and you can’t explain why.  Maybe it is because you are failing to recruit the right kinds of leaders and/or retain them.  Or maybe it is just that your student ministry is failing to meet the expectations you have for your ministry.

Whatever it is, sometimes it is good and healthy to have a “consultant” come in and evaluate what you are doing and how you are doing it.  I’m not necessarily talking about a Doug Fields or YM Architect type consultant.  This consultant could be youth minister from another church, a parent whom you trust and respect or even some random students from a neighboring youth ministry that could give you feedback.  The point would be to bring an an extra set of eyes that could help you see some potential blind spots that are hindering growth in your ministry.

Then, this is where Jon Taffer and his team’s model works so well for our ministries.  When they see areas of improvement, Jon and his team train the current bar staff how to do it right.  In the same way, as you see areas in your ministry that needs help, train your staff and volunteers on how to do it right.  You can do this yourself or bring in some experts as well.  In fact, Stuff Leaders Want (formerly YouLead) has some great training for you and your leaders and is affordable (especially for all the material you get).

After you and your team are properly trained, make the changes necessary and turn your student ministry around.  Simple as that, right?  Not exactly, but you catch the drift…

• Recognize something that is not working in your Student Ministry
• Bring in some “consultants” to evaluate your program
• Train yourself and your team in the areas that need improvement
• Make the adjustments needed and begin to see a greater effectiveness in ministry.

Whether you feel like your Student Ministry needs help or not, I have always found it to be extremely effective for my ministry to bring in an extra set of eyes to look at my program.  It keeps me aware of what’s going on in my ministry and how I can best be prepping and training my leaders to be better equipped.  It’s a win for all, especially the Kingdom of Heaven which stands to be the most impacted as the greater impact you can have with students, the more likely the Kingdom of Heaven will grow.

Thoughts? Experiences?  Post a comment below so we can all learn and benefit from each other.