Are You Sleepwalking?
The statistic was starring me in the face. The Gallup Organization was putting words behind my gut instinct and I hated it.
Research shows that only 29% of workers are "engaged" at work. A full 71% of employees were cited as "not engaged." Let me define the terms as Gallup sees it. He calls the "engaged worker" one who displays passion for the company and feels a sense of connection to its mission. In contrast, the "disengaged worker" is the person who essentially sleepwalks through the day, meeting only the baseline expectations.
What's that got to do with youth ministry? Several things. I'll highlight some of them for you.
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If youth ministry doesn't make you want to get out of bed in the morning, try fighting to get some of your "early youth ministry zeal" back. Granted, there are lots of days (weeks) when repeating aspects of youth ministry are about as exciting as watching paint dry. But boredom is an attitude, not a fixed point. Your level of "engagement" in your youth ministry will have eternal consequences. So though I realize it isn't politically correct to say this, kick yourself in the rear and throw your whole heart back into the game. Right feelings eventually follow right choices.
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If you are a volunteer youth leader, you probably secretly resent some of the individuals around you who are paid to do ministry, and yet they are deeply "disengaged." (That's a nice way of saying, "lazy.") I just want to tell you how sorry I am for the half-heartedness you often see displayed in the "professional ranks." One businessman said to me not long ago, "If people in my company had the work ethic and productivity of most people I see in full-time ministry, they would be fired before the end of the month." Enough said. Granted, I'm not making a case for "workaholism." But from these stats and my observation post, I don't think we need to worry much about that.
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In the words of Bill Gates, "It is not that most people want to fail. It is just that they don't want to pay the price to succeed." So let me pause to give a commercial for the excitement of wholehearted, "engaged" commitment to youth ministry. What else could you give your life to with such staggering eternal consequences? We are so blessed to have the privilege of doing this! We get to impact teenagers at the most crucial crossroads of their lives. With such mammoth stakes, why would we allow ourselves to remain "disengaged"? Besides, youth ministry isn't fun until you're giving a hunk of your heart to it.
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Realize that "full ministry engagement" will look different for all of us. Don't compare yourself to others. Just shoot to be the best you can be. Early in my youth ministry, I allowed myself to make mental comparisons to other leaders. Those comparisons created a crop of toxic emotions ranging from insecurity to resentment. My grandma used to say, "If you remain casual too long, you eventually become a casualty!" But on the other hand, a couple of whole-hearted hours of engagement each week (amidst your vocation and family commitments) can be both life-changing for you and the person on the receiving end. Don't compare yourself to others, just refuse to "sleepwalk" through your youth ministry journey.
I want to throw my energies and passion into being the best youth leader to my students in Atlanta and the best mentor the men and women in The Cadre could ever have. So join me in my attempts to expand that 29 percent that the Gallup Organization talks about. Thomas Lawrence had it right. Let me conclude with his words. I think all the "29% people" will resonate with them:
"Men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible."
Sign yourself back up for the exciting adventure of wholehearted youth ministry. Dreaming with "open eyes" was never more exciting...never more crucial.
The statistic was starring me in the face. The Gallup Organization was putting words behind my gut instinct and I hated it.
Research shows that only 29% of workers are "engaged" at work. A full 71% of employees were cited as "not engaged." Let me define the terms as Gallup sees it. He calls the "engaged worker" one who displays passion for the company and feels a sense of connection to its mission. In contrast, the "disengaged worker" is the person who essentially sleepwalks through the day, meeting only the baseline expectations.
What's that got to do with youth ministry? Several things. I'll highlight some of them for you.
-
If youth ministry doesn't make you want to get out of bed in the morning, try fighting to get some of your "early youth ministry zeal" back. Granted, there are lots of days (weeks) when repeating aspects of youth ministry are about as exciting as watching paint dry. But boredom is an attitude, not a fixed point. Your level of "engagement" in your youth ministry will have eternal consequences. So though I realize it isn't politically correct to say this, kick yourself in the rear and throw your whole heart back into the game. Right feelings eventually follow right choices.
-
If you are a volunteer youth leader, you probably secretly resent some of the individuals around you who are paid to do ministry, and yet they are deeply "disengaged." (That's a nice way of saying, "lazy.") I just want to tell you how sorry I am for the half-heartedness you often see displayed in the "professional ranks." One businessman said to me not long ago, "If people in my company had the work ethic and productivity of most people I see in full-time ministry, they would be fired before the end of the month." Enough said. Granted, I'm not making a case for "workaholism." But from these stats and my observation post, I don't think we need to worry much about that.
-
In the words of Bill Gates, "It is not that most people want to fail. It is just that they don't want to pay the price to succeed." So let me pause to give a commercial for the excitement of wholehearted, "engaged" commitment to youth ministry. What else could you give your life to with such staggering eternal consequences? We are so blessed to have the privilege of doing this! We get to impact teenagers at the most crucial crossroads of their lives. With such mammoth stakes, why would we allow ourselves to remain "disengaged"? Besides, youth ministry isn't fun until you're giving a hunk of your heart to it.
-
Realize that "full ministry engagement" will look different for all of us. Don't compare yourself to others. Just shoot to be the best you can be. Early in my youth ministry, I allowed myself to make mental comparisons to other leaders. Those comparisons created a crop of toxic emotions ranging from insecurity to resentment. My grandma used to say, "If you remain casual too long, you eventually become a casualty!" But on the other hand, a couple of whole-hearted hours of engagement each week (amidst your vocation and family commitments) can be both life-changing for you and the person on the receiving end. Don't compare yourself to others, just refuse to "sleepwalk" through your youth ministry journey.
I want to throw my energies and passion into being the best youth leader to my students in Atlanta and the best mentor the men and women in The Cadre could ever have. So join me in my attempts to expand that 29 percent that the Gallup Organization talks about. Thomas Lawrence had it right. Let me conclude with his words. I think all the "29% people" will resonate with them:
"Men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible."
Sign yourself back up for the exciting adventure of wholehearted youth ministry. Dreaming with "open eyes" was never more exciting...never more crucial.
Related Items
Exodus 33:7-11 tells us how Moses used to pitch the "Tent of Meeting" outside the camp. It was the place where the Lord would speak to him, face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
Don't you long to create your own Tent of Meeting, a place where you can spend some face time with the Lord? I know I do, but I also know I'm going to have to fight for it on a daily basis. For I know, no one will create a Tent of Meeting for me, but me. And, no windows of opportunity will ever magically appear. My Tent of Meeting will only come through sheer determination, a refusal to let anything else encroach upon my time with Him. Without it, ministry will inevitably get messy.
I'm up for the challenge, the fight and the relentless pursuit! Are you? Draw near my friends! For He promises that if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us.
Lovingly,
If I could do just one single thing for youth pastors today, I would try to fan their spiritual passion.
In my journey, I have found that there is really very little correlation between spiritual success and ministry success. Too often, talent becomes a remarkable substitute for character and spiritual passion. In ministry it is too easy to know "things" and not know "God." With ease, we can bluff our way through and, unfortunately, more than likely nobody will catch us.
I am determined not to be a "poser." In this Youth Leader's Coach, I will give you tips I've learned along the way that might prevent you from becoming one as well.
Lovingly,
Are you ready to challenge your gang to live a life of committed Christianity and not one of "Cheap Salvation"? This Source, "Cardboard Crosses," is one of my favorite salvation messages. It will challenge the new Christians and unsaved in your group to pick up their cross, or in today's world "their electric chair," and follow Christ with abandonment. In a society that would rather just believe, we want to encourage our students to come under Christ's Lordship, an end of life on our own terms. This message includes some great visual illustrations to help your students understand that without total commitment the cross has no value.
May this Source not only challenge the unsaved, but your entire team to not just "believe" but to "obey." And don't let this message just be for your students alone. We all have to daily "pick up our cross" and follow Christ wholeheartedly!
Refusing to carry a Cardboard Cross,
All the stats tell us that we can work hard, spend long hours and still be amazingly non-productive. Encouraging, isn't it? But do not despair, there is hope.
In this month's Youth Leader's Coach, "Time Management Secrets In An Over Scheduled World," I share some things I've learned from, The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Swartz, as well as a few things I've picked up along the way throughout my four decades of ministry.
Because our purpose is both mammoth and eternal, the Enemy will obviously want to divert us when it comes to how we spend our time. Instead, relentlessly choose to make every moment count.
Mastering my calendar,
OUR LIVES ARE ALL SUPER BUSY! And painfully, all the stats tell us that we can work hard, spend long hours and still be agonizingly NON-PRODUCTIVE! Our lives are scheduled to the max. Between family demands, work obligations, and a million things in between, it can feel like time is slipping through our fingers with our heavily over-scheduled lives.
Because your purpose in life is so HUGE, the Enemy will try to divert you time-wise. We all fall into this trap. That’s why this Alliance leadership coaching resource is one that can’t be overlooked.
In this resource, “Time Management Secrets In An Over-Scheduled World,” we’re unpacking a major principle; “Managing your ENERGY, not TIME, is the primary key in high performance and personal renewal in your life.”
A Gallup Poll surveyed thousands of employees and found, 55% said they were not engaged or focused at work… and 19% called themselves totally disengaged! The longer an employee stayed with the same job, the LESS engaged they really were. After only 6 months on the same job, only 38% of the employees remained highly engaged. After 3 years, only 22% were truly engaged.
It’s easy for the best of us to begin to live a little more in REMOTE CONTROL mode. We go through the paces of life, ministry, and work...without being emotionally connected.
So, that’s the big question we’re asking in this resource. “How can you improve your own productivity through simple steps giving you more emotional engagement?” We all want to be the best we can be and this resource is one incredible way to help us chart becoming that.
