Balancing Their Events and Your Events

Working with Jr. high students can be busy. Between all of the stuff going on at your church and the stuff in their lives, you have little time to catch your breath. Many times in ministry we struggle with their events clashing with our events. So the question is how can we find balance between their events and our events?

I believe the answer is found in one word-missional. We find balance between their events and our events when we think with a missional mind. Let me try to explain what I mean with a few points. When it comes to events, here are a few ways to think with a missional mind. I believe these points will also help you see how to find the balance.

Stop filling up your student ministry calendar with your events. When it comes to working with Jr. high students, it’s easy to just fill up your calendar with awesome events. Just throw in an all-nighter there and a crazy game night here. Before long, your calendar is full of activities just for them. This isn’t bad, but I’m certain it is not the best. When we do Jr. high ministry this way, we operate in a “come and see” model. I think we need to shift to a “go and tell” model in Jr. high ministry. The next point will explain.

Equip your students to take Jesus to their events. Spend the time you do have with your students talking about Jesus. Make the most of your meetings by making the Scripture and Jesus the focal point. In that, help them grow in their love for Jesus and then equip them to take that love for Jesus to their events. By doing this your training them to be missional. It’s no longer a “come and see” Jesus model, but a “go and tell” Jesus model which lines up more with Jesus command in Matthew 28:19-20. Stop doing so many of your events so they can take Jesus to their events.

Be missional yourself by attending their events. Leave your office and spend some time of their turf. Take your love for students to their sporting events, plays, and other events they may be involved in. Instead of asking them to always come to you, go to them.

In addition if you are in a larger church where this would seem quite overwhelming.  We need to include this in our training with our volunteers.  Let them know that we all need to work together to make this work.

I really believe doing these three things will help you find balance between your events and their events as well as helping your ministry become more missional. Jesus left us with a clear mission and that mission applies to our ministry as well.

This is a guest post from Austin McCann.  Austin is the student ministries director at Christ Community Chapel-Stow campus in Northeast Ohio. He enjoys reading, writing, sports, and students.