Recently, I spoke at a gathering of student ministry pastors and volunteers about what really matters in student ministry. The thing is, nobody likes a “know it all”, so instead of talking from a pedestal of expertise or success, I talked about the top 10 dumbest things I’ve done in student ministry. Let’s be real, people would rather hear fail stories than success stories. Also, using your mistakes as a platform to talk about what really matters is a brilliant strategy. Just admit it.
Anyway, I began with this idea: What we do, as student ministry pastors and volunteers, is far too important for us to become burned out, ineffective, or disqualified. Students deeply need good student ministries that connect them to Jesus and meaningful relationships with spiritual mentors. We can’t screw this up!
So, thought I’d spend a few days sharing all the dumb things I’ve done. Who’s pumped?!?!
Burned Out
10. You’re Not a Rock Star
Being a student pastor is a little like being a rock star. Sure the stage is small and the audience’s brains are still developing, but being a rock star, even a small one, is exhilarating! In fact, I’d go as far as to say that it’s intoxicating.
For me, my first student ministry role very quickly became the Aaron show. It was all about me–my singing, my speaking, my events, my wisdom–me, me, me. In a shocking twist, this wasn’t good for anyone, particularly me. For one thing, I began to gauge my success in ministry based on claps and compliments. Did they love my worship set? Did they tell me afterward how amazing my talk was? Was this the best event they’d ever been too? If these things didn’t happen, then I would feel like I bombed. And, if they did happen, then I felt like a rock star. I’m telling you, this quickly led me to a bad place.
Now, I may sound like a horrible person to you right now, but this is a very real thing, especially for those of us who are natural entertainers or performers. We don’t need any more examples of egotistical pastors falling from grace in American churches! One common theme among all these fallen pastors is that they became rock stars.
What gets lost in the pastor as rock star phenomenon is Jesus. Wait, isn’t this whole thing supposed to be about Him? Well, yes, of course, but I found myself in a place where I was more interested in students falling in love with me than with students falling in love with Jesus. I would have never verbalized this, but looking back, I know that it was true.
I know that some of you, who are serving in or leading student ministries, know exactly what I’m talking about. The danger in all of this is that students would miss Jesus. As good as it feels to be needed and esteemed, we need to be very careful here What’s the solution? Well, in my opinion, it’s community. Invite your community into this conversation. Give them the freedom to tell you if you are slipping into rock star mode. Also, lead in community. Invite others to serve in the rock star roles. Don’t be the worship leader, teacher and game leader, and host. Give a few of these roles to someone else. Share the spotlight. In doing so, you’ll take the focus off yourself an help put it back on what students really need, Jesus. Besides, being a rock star, when you’re supposed to be a servant, does bad things to your soul. Trust me on this one.
photo credited to Lloyd Dewolf via Flickr
