The Waiting Place.

At the risk of making a very niche reference; do you remember at the end of The Italian Job (original version) where Michael Caines character says, “hang on a minute lads, I’ve got a great idea!” If you haven’t watched the film I would take a look, it’s a great film but with a marginally irritating yet genius ending! The predicament the group find themselves in has no obvious way out, and it’s virtually impossible to work out what the ‘great idea’ could even be!

The world of youth ministry is vastly different to what it was 3 years ago, obviously! Navigating this new landscape has been incredibly difficult and our ability to connect and relate to churches, leaders and young people has been hampered by the after-effects of the pandemic. It appears to be much harder to get young people to attend events, let alone invite friends. It’s definitely much harder to find leaders to be part of a youth team. It goes without saying that the challenges facing young people have increased and so this weighs heavily on those of us trying to support young people. There is more we don’t know that we do know! If I’m honest I feel a bit like Michael Caine at the end of The Italian Job; stuck in the middle of a predicament, a ministry predicament! The difference is that I don’t have a great idea, I don’t even have an average idea! What I do have though is will, I am feeling tenacious and up for the challenge ahead. Even if I don’t have an idea to ‘solve the problem’ (I’m always trying to be a fixer!) I do know I need to keep going, keep turning up, keep supporting leaders, keep connecting with young people, keeping ask God for what’s next. We may be in a season where we run less activity, but I doubt it is going to be a season where God moves less!

God’s sense of humour continues to show itself in my daily readings or in the passage I’m given to speak on. He’s being incredibly subtle by giving me Isaiah 40:31 on Monday – “but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Then on Tuesday giving me Lamentations 3:24 – “I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” A grin is forming on my face as my stubborn inability to be patient is being graciously worn away by God!

Being patient means that we have to accept that we’re living in a moment of uncertainty, and when our brains crave certainty, it can make situations feel very difficult. Patience forces us to be present without certainty, without a plan, without knowing a specific reason for being, except to just ‘be’ and wait.

In Genesis 40 Joseph was forgotten by the chief cupbearer after the whole dream interpretation scenario which meant he was left in prison for an additional 2 years! Genesis 41 takes us straight to what happens next, but what I would have loved to have known was how did Joseph cope during those 2 years? What did he think about? How did he not lose heart? Maybe, just maybe, Joseph had discovered the habit of patience, I guess being attacked, thrown into a hole and sold into slavery will definitely teach you something!

Patience helps us live in the present and experience emotions and feelings that are often pushed aside by our busyness. I read a fascinating article written by someone who had observed the ‘intense atmosphere’ in Westminster Hall as people viewed The Queen lying in state. One huge difference to nearly every other area of our lives was that phones were not permitted. It meant that everyone experienced, whether they liked it or not, or even were prepared for it, a deep sense of emotion in the present moment. This moment couldn’t be filmed to look at later, or simply post online hoping for ‘shares’ and ‘likes’. This moment was a rare blessing and I believe when we create these unhurried times free from distraction we can feel, experience and discover things that would have otherwise been drowned out by the noise of our lives. Being patient ironically takes time, but time well spent as we will be presented with a opening landscape of possibilities that simply doesn’t happen without an intentional act of stopping, making space, waiting, pausing, being!

If we maybe put away our phones for a time, seek some space away from the everyday and embrace the initial discomfort of learning patience, I truly believe it will be substantially beneficial to not only our present, but also the future.

Maybe one of the reasons none of us like waiting is because when we stop we are forced to experience and see things that maybe we have chosen to hide. It may be that by rushing through life we think we are keeping the negative emotions and thoughts in check and out of the way. What if also we are stopping the positive and healthy parts of life from being fully known and enjoyed? It’s not rocket science to understand that all of our emotions contain lessons designed to help us grow and thrive. I bet every single one of us could maybe think of a time that didn’t go according to plan and yet we learnt something from it and moved forward differently because of it. As a youth leader I can tell you I have discovered as much about myself and my ministry from the times I’ve stumbled and fallen as from the times I identified an event or activity a success. The quote “Never let a good crisis go to waste” is often attributed to Churchill and I want to emulate this attitude. No matter how uncomfortable I feel my waiting needs to be also a time of looking, looking to see what God is saying in this next season.

Let us all pray for the ability to ‘wait’ as we take baby steps into this new season and new landscape. I will try and be patient but I will also look forward to the time where I can blow some doors off! (second niche reference!)

The Lioness and The Youthworker

I’m not sure I ever imagined writing a blog where I compare us youth leaders to Englands phenomenal and victorious Lionesses team. The Lionesses were amazing and it was such a joy to watch their journey, culminating in such a hard fought and well deserved victory.

As I watched the stories of individual players shared in the days that followed my mind began seeing comparisons between youth leaders and female football players. So many of them had poured their time, energy and skill into being a football player, going above and beyond what was asked so that they could achieve success in the beautiful game. Yet through it all they were in the shadow of the mens football game, a shadow which loudly screamed you are not good enough, not important enough and you don’t bring in enough money.

The Lionesses victory has woken some people up and there is some light at the end of the tunnel and there is movement happening. Newcastle Football Club issued this statement a few weeks ago: “following the restructuring, Newcastle United has ambitious plans for the Lady Magpies, with investment in the first team squad, the introduction of a development squad, and formal support in place from across the club.”

Since the Euro’s win these are some of the words that are being spoke over the game…

“I believe that the interest will increase if we continue to relate to the players as we do with the men’s team. It’s just getting bigger and bigger – record numbers of young girls playing football in the UK. The hope is that the FA will increase investment in the women’s game; that, regardless of results, women’s football in England will become a source of joy, money and inspiration.”

“I believe that the interest will increase if we continue to relate to the players as we do with the men’s team!”- these words are key! I know one of the big changes that needs to happen is how the church sees youth ministry, it needs to treat youth ministry as a higher priority.

Those who choose to be employed as youth leaders need to be seen in the same light and as influential, as a vicar. If our ministry starts to be seen as equal, then, like the Lionesses, we will rise to the challenge and no doubt bear even more fruit. If someone treats you as less important, you will feel less important and you will begin to doubt whether anything you do is worth it, you may even consider stopping doing what you at one time thought was a calling for life! We know so many church leaders believe youth ministry is important, if not vital, but this isn’t evidenced in wider church decision making.

There have been so many incredibly wise thoughts, blogs and articles about youth leaders not being valued enough in the church. There is clear evidence that youth ministry is in a very difficult place because it is seen as less valuable than ‘adult’ ministry. Statistics screaming that our youth ministry that we love and are deeply committed to, is apparently to some, like women’s football, just not quite as important. Like women’s football, there has been a huge lack of investment for many years, a constant ‘second class’ attitude towards youth ministry and a limited route to growth in skills, responsibility and ministry opportunity. In spite of this there is a vast group of individuals, a tribe, continuing to do what they love without the recognition, support and affirmation that they deserve. But I believe we are at a significant junction in the world of youth ministry. We need to make some changes that will possibly be painful, financially costly and risky, but at the same time these changes are needed more than you could imagine.

Rather than continuing to write about the problems, I offer three solutions:

1. Employ three Dave Greens! Ok so that will need explaining! Dave Green was the Diocesan Youth Officer when I started as a youth worker 25 years ago. Dave relentlessly encouraged us, he put on training regularly, he ensured we gathered for food often, he drove to see us in our church settings so he could really offer bespoke support, he got in encouraging speakers for retreat days, he helped us plan area-wide events, I could go on. Much of what I now do within 267 was modelled by Dave, without his example I would not have thrived, and I definitely wouldn’t have begun 267. Imagine 1 or 2 ‘Daves’ in every Diocese, imagine the encouragement that would ripple out. Just think of all those gifted and experienced youth leaders who are looking for a new challenge but there currently isn’t anywhere for them to go next within youth ministry.

2. Create different and ‘real world’ environments to train and inspire potential youth leaders, which isn’t just offering them a degree in youth ministry. As a 16 year old I was offered a YTS (Youth Training Scheme) in bricklaying, I turned it down. But had I taken it I would have spent 4 days a week under the watchful eye of a master builder, learning the trade, picking up tips, practicing brick laying with a expert close by. On the 5th day I would be in the classroom learning more about the trade. Yes study is important, but I believe ‘doing’ youthwork as part of your training will create more resilient and more prepared youth leaders. 267 is already looking into the idea of hosting a ‘Youthwork Academy’ based on the idea of a YTS – watch this space.🙏🏻

3. Help vicars engage with youth ministry while they are studying at Theological College. It wouldn’t take much to include a few days of input from a wide variety of seasoned individuals from youth ministry tribe. These insights will help any leader see youth work in a more equal light as well giving them ideas and encouragement to pursue youth ministry in their new posting.

I want to echo the words of England Coach Sarina Wiegman for all the youth leaders, both paid and voluntary, who keep going, who daily keep turning up and who keep investing in young people – “Yes, we want to win and you have the best players in the country but you have to have a clear plan and communicate that at all times and also create an environment where players dare to do things.”

I would love Christians to be able to ‘create an environment where players (youth leaders) dare to do things!” If the church isn’t going to do it quick enough, then maybe a bunch of us should get together and build this environment. For too long we have been sharing statistics and warnings to the higher echelons of church leadership and yet nothing has changed.

Imagine utilising a bunch of individuals who are passionate about what they do, who are gifted, who love their calling and who, when joined with other ‘players’, are unstoppable. Our Lionesses have shown what is possible when you get behind and intentionally invest and support a group of individuals. Let us do the same for the multitude of youth leaders across our nation. Young people’s lives, youth ministry as a profession and even the health of the church itself is at stake, we must ‘dare to do something’!

“Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold (daring)!” 2 Corinthians 3:12