FIVE LESSONS LEARNED DURING COVID-19 - PART 3

3/17/2021

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Step back & Evaluate

There are a few things about youth ministry that just work. There are also a few things that we do because we've always done them. And, there are some things we do that we need to stop doing.

I remember when I started working with students, I had so many new ideas; things I wanted to try, risks that I wanted to take, things I wanted to change. I hated the words, "But we've always done it this way." I lived by the idiom that said, "sacred cows make the best hamburgers." I wanted a ministry that was new, creative, and unlike what anyone else was doing.

The irony of that was, I was doing exactly what every other youth worker was doing. I would go off to the yearly youth workers conference with my bag of tricks empty and come home with all sorts of new ideas, gimmicks, fads, and products promising to bring about better worship, more compelling talks, deeper relationships, or more fun. With my replenished bag of tricks, I would plan out the student ministry calendar for the next year.

After about 10 years of student ministry, I found myself not only doing what everyone else was doing, but I had created my very own, "this is the way we've always done it." It was the same rotation of series and messages. Sure they were freshened up a bit. Some phrases changed, stories and examples were slightly different, but we taught the same things over and over again.

The same was true of our activities. We knew what worked and so we did the same things year after year. Retreats, mission trips, summer camps, outings and activities; I had a great group of leaders and parents who supported our ministry. They knew what to expect and what to do. Our programs almost ran themselves.

When the time came to move on to a new position in a new church, it only took about a year or two for the program to change and begin to look like the ministry I had just left. Yes, there were some newer aspects that were infused into the program, usually connected to whatever the new idea was moving through the youth ministry world.

My point is, when it came to running a student ministry, I found that it was way easier to do what I knew, instead of venturing out into something truly new. After all, there are certain things about youth ministry that don't change.

On June 1st, 2021, I will wrap up my second full year of ministry in my current role. 12 of these 24 months have been during the Covid-19 pandemic. June through August of 2019, focused on providing students with a handful of summer activities. September through December were spent running the program as it had been run prior to my arrival. During this time, I spent a significant amount of energy recruiting volunteer leaders. I changed our internship program into a mentoring program and brought onboard three young adults to help with planning and leading. Then I set to work, creating a new program that looked a lot like my old way of doing things.

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On January 21st, 2020, we launched. It was great. Students came. Had fun. And went home. Leaders were learning, meeting students, and beginning to see the possibilities. Then on March 10th, we met in person for the last time, though we didn't know it at the time. On Friday, March 13th, the announcement was made, we're going online. About week after that, we were in full quarantine.

It really is amazing what you can learn when you take a step back and evaluate what you're doing.

Covid has been tough. I've had my ups and downs. I've been frustrated. I've felt helpless, lost, and left wondering, "what am I doing?" As we navigated the waters of covid, like so many other youth ministries, we tried live streaming, Zoom calls, recorded content on YouTube, and an increased social media presence. We had some success early on, but over time, we saw that the online formatting wasn't working. That led to us launching our in-person small groups.

Here we are, one year later, still meeting in small groups, and it's going really well. The response from students and parents has been great. In fact, it's what's prompting this series. With our shift to small groups, we now find ourselves taking a step back to evaluate our programs.

I think sometimes our evaluation process focuses more on how we can improve what we're already doing.

Learning to evaluate what we're doing on a regular basis is a practice that leads to healthier ministry. Evaluating our ministries isn't a new idea. But I think sometimes, our evaluation process focuses more on how we can improve what we're already doing. For instance, following a retreat we take some time to debrief and evaluate the weekend. We note the good, the bad, what worked, what didn't work, what we want to do again, and what we might want to change for next time? While that's perfectly okay, how often do we evaluate our program and ask, what do we need to get rid of?

Covid has forced me to begin thinking differently about how I do youth ministry. Being displaced from our regular gathering space for a year is making me reconsider our purpose and need for weekly gatherings. With the "success" of our small groups, I'm thinking through their possible long-term impact for our students. And as I look at recruiting, training, and commissioning leaders and volunteers, I'm wondering what their future roles might look like.

As a church, we're looking to grow younger; passing along the keys of leadership, becoming more and more multi-generational. We're asking, "How can our students connect more, serve more, grow more, and lead more as they minister alongside adults?"

Because of covid, as a church, we're rethinking the why and how. We're looking at what's to come and asking, "what's next?" And we're dreaming, praying, looking forward to the growth that we believe will come. These questions, these conversations, are leading the discussions that are helping to reshape our student ministry.

Don't look at what you did before and simply ask, "what was good, what was bad, what worked, what didn't work, what do we want to do again, and what we might want to change for next time?"

We have an opportunity before us, a choice that we will have to make. On one hand, we can choice to continue doing what we know to do. We go back to what was. We allow what we know to "work" fill up our calendars. We simply slide back into what once was. Or, we can take a good look at what we were doing, evaluate our programs, our activities, ask hard questions, and face the harder answers.

Don't look at what you did before and simply ask, "what was good, what was bad, what worked, what didn't work, what do we want to do again, and what we might want to change for next time?"

Instead consider these questions...

What have we learned about our students during covid?
What do you see as your students greatest needs during covid, and now post-covid?
What have your students really responded to during covid?
What are your students responding to now, as we move closer towards a post-covid reality?
What about your student ministry has become a sacred cow?
What parts of your ministry are no longer as effective as they once were?
What parts of your ministry suck time and energy, and pull you away from being with your leaders and students?
Can those parts of your ministry be delegated or eliminated?
What do your student miss about your youth ministry? And why?
What do your students not miss about your youth ministry? And why?
If you could dream big, what would you do differently as you move into this post-covid reality?

Don't be afraid to think outside the box. Pull in some of your students and invite them to dream with you. Ask them to share ideas of how they might want to reach their peers.

Talk with parents and see where they are. What are their needs? What do they see as their students needs? What have they learned about their student during covid? What expectations do they have for their students, for the youth ministry, for you? What did family life look like before covid? What does family life look like moving into a post-covid reality?

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Step back. Evaluate. Take the time to look carefully at at what was and what could be.

Finally, pray!

Before you make any changes. Before your role out a new strategy? Before you turn everything upside down. Pray! Ask God to lead you, inspire you, and give you wisdom. When you have an idea, pray for conformation. When you have a plan, pray for its process. When you're ready to launch, pray that God might renew and restore. And when you see him moving in your ministry and in the life of your students, pray and thank Him for His faithfulness.

meet jay

Jay Higham is a veteran youth worker of almost 30 years; having worked with students in the local church and Christian camping settings. Jay is currently serving as the Director of Family Ministry at Covenant Community Church, in Wheeling, WV. Jay has been married to Amy for 24 years. Together, they are raising 5 kids, (4 boys and 1 girl). Jay is an aspiring author, blogger, speaker, vlogger, and social media junkie. He is also the host of our new podcast, Conversations with Every Day Youth Workers! Jay is passionate about student ministry, family ministry, and connecting and networking with youth workers to help them serve their students with passion and excellence.

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