Help I'm a Small Church Youth Worker Achieving Big-Time Success in a Non-Mega Ministry

The Dreaded QuestionIt was the end of the day-and the end of a week of inspiring youth ministry seminars. We were a cheerful group of about a dozen youth workers, comfortably seated around the dinner table, all of differing ages, regions, denominations...and church sizes.Our conversation began innocently enough, sparked by what we''d heard from seminar leaders earlier in the day. But then one of the large church youth workers asked the dreaded question:"So...how big is your youth ministry?"The large church youth workers responded immediately and with great enthusiasm, listing their expansive, active memberships, noting their state-of-the-art ministry resources, and sharing their awesome visions and strategies for additional growth. Feeling woefully inadequate, we small church youth workers grew increasingly quiet. Our confidence and cheerfulness evaporated.Later in the evening, a few of us vented in the hotel lounge (actually we were completely exasperated!). After some reflection, we noted a number of ways that our churches differed from large churches- mainly in areas related to environment, expectations, and goals. And it became clear to our group: We need something different, because we are different! Not incompetent-just different.In other words, small church youth workers need a specialized approach to youth ministry.Location,Location, LocationWhy are there so many small churches?It''s important to keep in mind that a huge percentage of small churches couldn''t be anything but small. Why? Because there aren''t enough people living around them! In vast stretches of our country, there simply isn''t the population density for large churches-or the numbers to allow for huge youth ministry programs.Why does church location affect my ministry?There are small churches everywhere, from the big city to the farmland. Their geographies directly affect their special cultures and needs-their particular personalities, values, and traditions. So...everything from cultural and ethnic issues to transportation and travel can (and will) The midwestern city of Columbus, Ohio, has almost 660,000 residents; the entire state of Wyoming has fewer than 500,000 residents.have an enormous impact on how youth workers in small churches develop their programs. But before you begin ministry at your small church, you should be aware of some location-specific issues for churches in urban, inner-ring, suburban, small-town, and rural locations.Urban LocationsYouth workers in small, urban churches face a number of issues that other small churches don''t face. Be prepared for the following: 1. Limited finances-even less cash than the average small church. 2. Safety-crime and dangerous areas might affect meeting times, locations, and frequency. 3. Multi-ethnicity-not just African Americans and Latinos, but also Europeans, Southeast Asians, Russians...in short, every nationality! 4. Acute family problems-young single mothers, absentee fathers, and often grandparents and other family members as guardians.5. Limited mobility-public transportation might be students'' only way to youth group activities.6. Significant poverty-many single mothers struggle to provide, and fathers might be out of work.7. Poor health-often families can''t afford medical assistance. 8. Violence-for inner-city kids, it''s a daily concern, and they may be afraid to attend youth group events because of it. (Between 7 and 9 p.m. in the summer can be the most dangerous time to hold youth group meetings in the inner-city.)9. Fear of teenagers-older people in the community might suspect their young neighbors are "always up to no good."10. Dilapidated buildings, limited space and out-of-date facilities-the church sanctuary might be the only decent meeting room available to you.11. High student turnover-youth group kids may not stick around because of their parents'' employment situations or other family problems.If you plan to do youth ministry in a small, urban church, these sorts of issues must factor into thGrassel, Rich is the author of 'Help I'm a Small Church Youth Worker Achieving Big-Time Success in a Non-Mega Ministry' with ISBN 9780310239468 and ISBN 031023946X.