YOUTH PASTOR RECOVERY: April 2014

I have been in ministry now longer than I haven't, and just like any other profession it is professional. Unfortunately ministry is not and should not be viewed as such. But we are paid usually for the ministry that we do in our local congregations, and so with that normally come job reviews, job descriptions, meetings with elders, church council oversight, weekly check ins with our pastor (usually our boss), staff meetings, and other required church staff obligations. Many times we as youth pastors can feel the pressure to produce numbers, results, decisions for Christ, more small groups, big slick midweek outreach programs, bigger monthly outreach programs than the last one, etc, etc. If you have been in ministry any length of time you have experienced this pressure for bigger and better. With that pressure may come much criticism. I can remember many times being criticized in many different places and in all kinds of churches. One particular instance stands out in my mind. I was on the phone with a person who was critical of how I was handling the planning of a mission trip. I was apologetic for his situation which was very difficult one, and then I explained a way for him to be able to bow out of the trip that we were going on. From that point he proceeded to criticize my wife, who was also helping with the planning of the trip. At that point I was done with the conversation. I said, "You can criticize me, and you can criticize this church, but when you criticize my wife that is where I have to draw the line. You are free from your commitment to this missions trip, goodbye." And I hung up the phone. Some of you have experienced much of the same, if not even the exact type of criticisms. Your family, children, spouse, friends, and their friends friends are all under constant scrutiny. You are supposed to be perfect after all right? This can be a heavy burden, and many of you including myself have wanted to just leave it all behind because of that intense scrutiny. Just so I am following the proper youth talk criteria I have a few thoughts...

1. Let Christ bear the scrutiny for you!
The perfect man has gone to the cross for you and all the impossible standards that you could never live up to. He met all those ridiculous standards that some people hold you to, and that you even hold to yourself. He has met them all. The most righteous, humble, holy, reverent, human, invested, courageous, prayerful, bold, meek, and kind man that has ever lived. He will bear your scrutiny! Let Him! give to him the impossible scrutiny that you could never fulfill, and that He will always fulfill.

2. Find someone to share this scrutiny with
For me it happened to be a regular meeting with an older, wiser man, some really great colleague youth pastors, my very cool German intern, and my wife, but she is the last line of defense because I want to try to protect her and you should too. It is hard to hear negativity all the time though so, "bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ". Don't be a one way street. Hear as well as being heard. And then Pray for each other, and you will do well.

3. Pray about it often
If I ever made a mistake in this area it was not praying about it enough. I always would talk to people, gripe, complain, or just get bitter, but I never prayed about it enough. I could have always done that better. Not just, "casting your cares upon Him because he cares for you," but "Pray for your enemies and those who spitefully use you."

Brothers the challenge is always that we are not professionals. We do this out of a deep calling and that calling must come under deep scrutiny because the bible also scrutinizes us. "Let not many of you be teachers because teachers shall incur stricter judgement." This is the tough balance. My greatest prayer for our profession/calling is that we will receive the great judgement from our Lord "Well done good and faithful servant."