STAY THE PATH

NIGEL WINDER | Southern Regional Director, SUNZ STAY the KEY QUESTIONS TO ASK TO STAY ON MISSION

Ministry to young people can be like climbing a mountain: there are potentially hundreds of pathways to the summit. Each trail will be different, depending on where you start and choices made along the way. We are blessed with such a mountain load of resources to support our ministries to young people. Any Google search can potentially provide a blizzard of suggested sites to visit and our inboxes are flooded with great resources and a tonne of ideas on how to do ministry in new ways. It is enough to make us feel quite overwhelmed. The winds of change brought by a pandemic storm have topped up this mountain of resources with a fresh covering of material. However, the main reasons we do ministry haven’t changed with COVID-19 or any other major global or local event—just some of the ways we deliver that ministry. Through times of change, many ministries have gained fresh clarity about what really matters above all else: connection with God and connection with each other. Many of us have been asking ourselves: ‘Which pathway do I take to achieve this? Which resource or method of delivery do I use?’ The key to finding our path, I believe, is to consider where we are now, and then fix our eyes on our end goal (the summit)—and then ask ourselves some questions.

Why does this ministry exist?

The starting point is to ask why our ministry exists. The answer to the ‘why?’ question becomes our summit reference point to help guide us into decisions about resources, processes and forms of delivery. It is no coincidence that very few mountain climbers get lost climbing up a mountain. That’s because they are working towards a single point. They have the summit to keep looking up to as their reference and guide. The summit is their purpose for climbing, their end goal. It is this that keeps them motivated and on track. Many youth ministries have taken the time recently to stop and take a compass bearing, rediscovering the most important things to be focusing on right now. During a time of change we need to be confident in knowing our summit, our ministry’s key purpose and our end goals so we stay the path. What else do we need to be considering?

¼ Who is our target audience?

¼ What age group, faith level, demographic are we hoping to reach and connect with?

¼ Are we outward looking to our community or are we focusing on those already strongly connected to us?

¼ What is their greatest need at this point in time?

¼ Is it connection, support, faith challenge, discipleship, opportunities to serve, the gospel or help with mental well-being?

¼ Is everyone on the same path?

¼ Are the whole team on the same page with where we are going and what we are hoping to achieve? ¼ What about our key audience and their families? How do we communicate so they have a clear understanding of what we are hoping to achieve?

¼ How can we ensure there are no unmet expectations and everyone is on board doing their bit to contribute to the end destination?

When we know the answers to these questions, we are more likely to stay the path and stay true to our mission and calling. That makes us less likely to get swept off the mountain by the avalanche of resources and opportunities or setbacks that come our way. After that, we need to keep evaluating our choices of resources and programmes to ensure they are continuing to meet our end goals. May God be our climbing guide and may we be both blessed and challenged in our ministry as we prayerfully consider these questions and rediscover God’s mission for us.

Psalm 32:8 ‘I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will council you and watch over you.’