Dear Youth Pastor, It’s worth the effort.

I know, youth pastor… you’ve got a lot on your plate. People expect a lot from you; your senior pastor isn’t always sympathetic to the uniqueness of your ministry; and the pay isn’t… well… awesome. And, then, last night you had that conversation with your spouse, the one where you say something’s got to change or you’re going to be looking for a different job. That one.

So, today, you came into your closet-turned-office determined to get ahead on your teaching for tomorrow night, determined to get snacks lined up and determined to erase that pop stain on the sanctuary floor before an elder notices it. But instead, your eye is drawn to the calendar.

You remember reading an article recently about a different sort of model for ministry and youth ministry… a simpler model… with less on the calendar, fewer lessons to prepare, and not as many volunteers to recruit. Maybe this is the answer. Maybe it’s time to slash some programs, focus your energy and do better at less.

But wait. Before you start hacking your way through the jungle of programs, activities and trips you’ve got planned, ask yourself these three questions:

1. Why did we start doing that in the first place?

It was so long ago when you and your interns came up with a brilliant new way to get your students to reach out to their friends. But now, that outreach program… well, let’s just say it’s just the same batch of kids over and over again. It’s still the same amount of prep though, the same basic program, and the same night of the week… but it’s not doing what it was meant to do.

Before you hack it off your calendar, allow a little bit of that passion that caused you to start it in the first place to come back to the surface and see if, just maybe, you can refocus that program on its original purpose, and bring it back to life.

2. Is there someone else who can lead this?

The beauty of leadership (even youth ministry leadership) is that you can accomplish so much more through other people, than you can for other people. And, while you may be feeling like you were hired to do youth ministry so other people wouldn’t have to… there’s a chance you’re bringing some of that on yourself.

Look around you at the people you’ve been investing in over the past few months and years. They love the Lord. They’re passionate about the ministry that has played such a big part in their own spiritual development. And perhaps they’re ready to be more than just your helper during game time (no offense to the people who are helpers during game time).

3. Can I find a smarter way?

I’m guilty of it too: trying to create original material for every program, obsessing over graphics, making sure everything is just right. And it all takes energy, time and effort away from the kind of ministry we were passionate about back during undergrad—the kind of ministry that spends time with people, invests in them, and encourages them.

So, maybe there’s a smarter way to run that program or retreat… using great curriculum that’s written by pros (even the really big churches do it), or choosing to participate in a camp or retreat that’s programmed and facilitated by a great Christian camp.

Sure, there may be some things on your calendar that it would be smart to let die. But if you refocus on the passion that birthed these great ideas so long ago, and maybe give up a little bit of control to let others do what they do best so you can do what you do best… I think you’ll find it’s worth the effort.

What do you think? Is there too much on your ministry calendar? Which of your programs have drifted? Who can you encourage to use their gifts? How can you work smarter in ministry?