So you are brand new at a church. Just started in the last few days and wondering how to go about getting anything done. The best advice I can give you is to encourage you to begin building equity in relationships. Here's the best way to explain this concept. Youth Ministers are notorious for having strange needs and last minute requests. Imagine if you have a last minute $500.00 check request for 800 cans of shaving cream and you need to get your finance person to sign off on it. Do you want to be the youth workers who has no relationship with that person and find yourself trying to explain what it's all about and why it's a valid request or do you want to have a solid connection with that person where you have open communication and a good working relationship?
When I was a young youth pastor I found out pretty quickly that there were three people who worked at the church that I needed to have a good relationship with. These were: My Executive Pastor who was typically the person who people went to when they didn't like the answer I was giving them, the head of Facilities who was the guy who dealt with all our strange requests and messes and the Chief Finance Officer who dealt with our bizarre check requests.
On top of these people at the church I learned that I needed to build solid relationships with a number of key parents who would be supporters of the program and understood the vision of what I was trying to do. This was a huge blessing when something would go wrong (which it invariably did) because parents were the best line of defense for me especially as they talked to other parents about what had happened.
Other key relationships you'll want to work on are those with volunteers who have been there longer than you. Chances are they have a lot invested in the ministry and they may not have been in on your hiring process. You don't work for them but you do need to make sure to take their investment into consideration as you make choices and decisions. You will also need relationships with other youth workers in the city so that you can have a support base of people trying to do the same thing as you. Lastly don't forget the importance of building relationships with the students you are working with.
This equity concept is so important because it is the key to longevity. Without building a solid foundation of support and relationships things will be so much harder to accomplish. It's much better to have the support of people when things go wrong but also to have others with you to celebrate when things go right.
I wish someone had told me about this when I was young but I also wish people would keep reminding me about this as I'm no longer young. Sometimes I got/get so caught up with what I'm doing that I forgot/forget to take into consideration other people.
Part 1: New Series: How to do this Youth Ministry Thing in a Healthy Way
Part 2: First Day on the Job
I loved your comment about still needing to be reminded. I often chide myself for making what I call “rookie mistakes” even as I near my 20 year mark in ministry. What I really mean are those building block basics about effective and heathly ministry. Thanks for the great reminder.
Thanks Jerry- I think that we can all probably admit that often “rookie mistakes” follow us through out our careers as we make the same ones over and over again.