What does a blueprint for youth ministry look like?

Since I first read Sustainable Youth Ministry back in April, 2012, I have been looking for good examples of what this might look like applied to an Anglican Church in Canada. In particular the visioning documents DeVries speaks of: values and goals for the youth ministry; it all sounds very nice, but I need some concrete examples.

Well, I would like to thank Stronger Together 2012 for providing me with these examples. This second annual retreat for people working in regional youth ministry in the Anglican and Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Canada took place outside Calgary several weeks ago. Not only did it take place, but they produced a set of values and goals for youth ministry in these Churches. Good timing folks!

The values are as follows:

Our Values for Ministry With and Among Young People in Canada
 
Foundational to our understanding of the nature and task of youth ministry is “participating in God’s action.” Youth ministry then at the local levels is the ministry of the church that seeks to participate in God’s action with and among young people.
 
1) Knowing God
In all we do, we never forget who we are: humans created in the image of God beautiful, broken and loved.

2) Living in Christ
Our work is anchored in the priority of living out a vital relationship with Jesus Christ and sharing that way of life.

3) Missional Direction
Our work is to empower young people to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world.

4) Beyond Survival
Stories of effective ministry with and among young people inspire expectation and hope among Anglicans and Lutherans, inviting the church to move beyond survival and fear to trusting God and claiming what is life giving.

5) God Conversations
We are intentional about having God conversations with young people, equipping and encouraging them to share the story of their faith with the wider community.

6) Bold Experimentation
We foster experimentation recognizing the gifts of our rootedness in our rich heritage and story. Our ministries with and among young people are environments that empower creativity, leave room for failure and provide opportunities for learning and growth.

7) Spiritual Practice
We commit to re-affirming and renewing our faith through worship, the study of scripture and spiritual practices.

8) Individual Young People
We always keep in mind the reality that somewhere there’s a young person who is yearning to deepen their relationship with God and is waiting to be connected to a transforming Christian community. 

Personally, I love these values. I think they find a balance between tradition and innovation, individuals and community, and include all the important aspects of Christian life all the while addressing some of the unique characteristics and challenges of youth ministry. The best example of this is 4)Beyond Survival. So often fear and anxiety concerning the future survival of the Church (often the Church in its present form) shape youth ministry more than anything else. This value calls us to trust and look towards a future where the Church, as the Body of Christ in the world, is truly a source of new and eternal life.

In addition to these values they have the following goals for youth ministry from at a national level:

THREE-YEAR REVOLVING GOALS
TARGET DATE: DECEMBER 31, 2014
 
Visioning
1) 50% of the Anglican and Lutheran churches in Canada have discerned what youth ministry could look like in their context and identified a single measureable goal for making their parish youth ministries more effective.

Formation of Leaders
1) Within the next three years – Each Synod or Diocese has staff or a structure in place for youth ministry coordination. This could be:

• An active youth ministry committee; 
• A volunteer youth ministry coordinator; 
• A part-time (paid) youth ministry coordinator;
• A volunteer team; or
• A full time (paid) youth ministry coordinator.

Each has a clear and realistic job description for empowering youth ministry regionally and in congregations, with the aim of each diocese or synod to have a sustainable staff structure designed to best respond to the contextual realities of that diocese or synod.
2) Anglican and Lutheran Youth Leaders have sponsored a national workshop for youth leaders with attention to participation that reflects the diversity of leaders and contexts.
3) In the previous year, every region has initiated an annual equipping conference for paid and volunteer staff in youth ministry that is at least one day long.
4) In the previous year, every region has initiated an annual Sabbath retreat for paid and volunteer staff in youth ministry that is at least one day long.

Resources:
1) Annually updated Youth Ministry Facilitator Directory has been developed with a vehicle in place to keep these facilitators connected across diocese and synods.
2) A plan is in place for increasing the level of financial resources available for the future of Anglican, Lutheran or joint youth ministry. Including exploring an
endowment fund.

Promotion and Marketing
1) A plan for internal and external communication has been developed, including electronic, print, personal contact, intentional branding, and deliberate storytelling.
2) Every parish and every person on the youth ministry directory will be contacted about relevant events.

Student Leadership
1) A plan and budget for a year-long, residential, young adult discipleship program has been developed.
2) 75% of diocese and synods have had youth participants in one of many national or multi-synod or multi-diocese events in the past year.

Look at all those shiny numbers and concrete goals! These goals help paint a clear picture of what we want the future of youth ministry in the country to look like. They will make it easy to assess the progress of youth ministry and whether or not it is moving along in the right direction. While the actual goals at the parish level would be different, they would have a similar format and may even include the same helpful division by sections used by the Stronger Together crew.

In conclusion, I am grateful to all those who helped put these values and goals together as well as those who passed them along to me. They are not only an excellent blueprint for youth ministry in the Anglican and Lutheran Churches in Canada at the national level, but they are also a great example of what a blueprint actually looks like.