The landscape of youth ministry is experiencing a monumental shift that parallels the larger systemic culture shifts that affect how Church is functioning today. So in this series of Youth Ministry Misconceptions, I hope to break down some assumptions and offer some suggestions for churches struggling with how to navigate ministry with young people through these shifts.
What IS “youth ministry?”
It’s simply ministry with youth. I think of ministry as servant leadership; as an attitude of humility that is committed to offering support for others, often a group of people or a particular community. As United Methodists we say that all people who follow Jesus are called to ministry, to love and serve others as Jesus called us to. Thus, “Youth Ministry” is sharing God’s love and grace with young people and responding to their needs in Christian love.
One of the most popular post topics on any Youth Ministry discussion board is fundraising. Early in my ministry I spent so much time planning fundraisers that would bring in $300. I would’ve rather paid the $300 to not have to do all that work. My nephew and niece used to bring home all kinds of fundraising sales items from their classrooms at school or their sports teams. My brother often said, I’d rather just pay the full amount than to have to ask all our neighbors for money. I’ve coached youth ministers before who weren’t even allowed to do fundraisers unless they were church-approved because of fears that it might affect the church’s stewardship campaign or general budget giving (and yet, at the same time, they had to figure out how to fund their ministries because it wasn’t included in the general budget). Fundraising can be tedious and exhausting. Which brings me to Youth Ministry Misconception #2: Youth Ministry shouldn’t have to fundraise (at least, not in the traditional sense).
The average salary of a Development Director of a non-profit is around $70K.
The average salary of a Chief Financial Officer is around $300,000.
The average salary of a Youth Minister: $45k.
Youth Ministers wear all kinds of hats, and I’m here to say – Fundraiser shouldn’t be one of them. The time and energy it takes to put together a fundraiser takes away from real ministry that could be happening. Now, some would say that fundraising together *can* be ministry, but usually it’s when the goal isn’t about raising money, but about raising awareness or teaching stewardship, which can be done outside of fundraising.
So how do you fund the cost of mission trips, fun outings, youth room renovations, transportation costs, and allllllllllllll the food?
- Church Budget – prepare a list of everything you anticipate costing money and present the budget to the Church Council. Make it known how much the ministry activities cost. Ask the Church Council for their guidance on how to come up with the money to pay for it. This is a team effort, and you are not paid like a Development Director to figure it out all by yourself. If the church takes seriously their baptismal vows, they should support the ministry through the Church Budget.
- Wealthy People – some people are eager and willing to serve with their hands and feet, while others are eager to offer financial support to causes they believe in…they just need to be asked.
- Work with the Senior Pastor to discern who might be willing to support the ministry in this way and have a one-on-one conversation with them to share about your ministry.
- Figure out the cost of your ministry per person. For example, if your total cost of ministry is $15K and you have 25 youth your cost per youth is $600 a year. Share an “Adopt a Youth” pitch and ask for people to pledge the $50/month to adopt a youth. Turn it into a ministry by pairing them as prayer partners or provide opportunities for ongoing check-ins about how ministry is going.
- Grants! – There are a ton of grants out there for specific things that youth ministry may meet, especially if you engage youth as leaders (Leadership Development) or in missions (Community Service) or if your church has a food ministry (Food Insecurity).
- Ministry Partners – This is an awesome way to either integrate youth into the life of the church OR to connect them with service providers in the community.
- Need food for a youth group meeting? Ask the Men’s or Women’s group or a Sunday school class to join the youth for a meal that the adult group provides OR that the group works with the youth to make together. Ask a local hunger ministry if they provide catering services – they are usually awesome at providing meals at super low cost and may be willing to partner with your group to provide food and teach your youth about their ministry.
- Looking for a mission project? Work with the church’s Missions Team/Committee or people in the church who regularly volunteer at local community service ministries and connect with them around the needs – they may have readily available funds to cover the cost of mission projects.
- Think of what it is you need, consider who in your church or community has the ability to provide for that need, and make a new friend as you discern how you can work together in ministry.
So here’s a quick little fundraiser assessment:
-Ask what the GOAL of the fundraiser is? What do we hope to accomplish? How will we know if we succeeded? What amount would be worth doing this fundraiser? If the answers don’t meet your $ need, then it shouldn’t be a fundraiser.
I served a church once who had a tradition of doing a Diner fundraiser – they wanted the feeling of an old school diner, and it took a lot of time and energy to put it together. Before the event even began, I was exhausted. We raised $200. I never did it again. When I left that church, I noticed that they brought it back. The thing is, they didn’t think of the Diner as a fundraiser – it was an opportunity for the church family to get together to share a meal. They just wanted the YOUTH to do the work for them. The goal wasn’t raising money. It was a church community event. Name that, and share the responsibilities of putting on the event.
–How much time/energy does this fundraiser take? How much do we normally make? What’s the return on our investment?
Case in point, the story above. It took thirty youth and adults weeks of planning and preparation to put on the event, only to raise about $5 per person. The return wasn’t worth it. Yet, at another church I served, we had two people who LOVED to cook. They produced a ham, mac & cheese, and green beans dinner and we sold tickets and took up a love offering. We raised $700. The people leading it had a blast, doing what they loved, and the return of our time/energy was well worth it.
–Is it fun? Look, life is short. If a FUNdraiser isn’t FUN, don’t do it. Know what your limit is for if it’s worth doing or not.
I served on the board of a non-profit hunger ministry and they were AWESOME at putting the FUN in FUNdraiser. Even the most tedious of fundraisers they did, people enjoyed the work they put into it. They also raised at least $7k per fundraiser, so the reward was worth the work. Find something that people like to do, gifts people are happy to offer, and plan something around that.
The Church today is struggling with funding in general. We all have to get more creative with how we cover the cost of ministry. But it shouldn’t be all on the youth minister to figure this out alone. Work together with a team of people, have some good conversations discerning options; share about your ministry with key stakeholders, and trust God to provide.
Deacon Shannon 