The First Step to Starting a Youth Ministry Network
Jul 25, 2009 
4 Comments
So you’re tired of the numbers game. You’re tired of comparing yourself to the church down the street. You understand that the competitive spirit in our churches is harmful and it would be better to work together rather than work against one another.
So what now? How do you start to team up with other youth ministries?
Pray for the other youth ministries – The first step is simply coming before God, our daddy, and asking for Him to guide us as we start to work together. By yourself, pray for their students (by name, if you can). Pray for their success and their ability to lead students into a deeper walk with Jesus. Pray for their leadership and for the rest of the church body.
Pray with the other youth ministries – Plan a time to pray with the other youth leaders. All the youth leaders will get on board with God’s will for the area, and even if we don’t do anything else together, at least the temptation to compare or compete will diminish as we pray for one another. Having many partners in prayer is one of many benefits of being part of a youth ministry network.
Pray for God to change hearts – Ask God to give churches of different denominations, traditions, leadership styles, ethnic and economic make-ups, and any other differences the desire to work together. Pray for your church leadership to see passed their own walls. Pray for the leadership of other churches for the same thing.
Many of us in the youth ministry profession are men and women of much action, but little prayer. From experience, I know how much more I’d rather be planning an event than praying for one. But in an area where the one who plants and the one who reaps is nothing (1 Cor 3:5-9), going to God first is key.
Let me ask you: Do you pray for the other churches in your area? Do we need to ask God to forgive us of playing the petty numbers game?
Good stuff, Nick. Thanks for writing. I'm working on an article and an instructional video that deals with this very same topic. An additional prayer strategy would be to form a team of “prayer warriors” (although I generally dislike such terms!!). These would be people with an unusually advanced ability to pray about ministry efforts, like networking. Having a small team of people that do pray and that you can regularly communicate with is always a big help when trying to start an effective network or youth workers within a community.
A “prayer team” is a great idea! Especially if it involved people from different churches. For your article and video, I would suggest you check out the Committee Handbook that Young Life publishes. While the handbook is designed for a support structure for a parachurch organization, the ideas can transfer to a youth ministry network. If you can't find a copy, I have an electronic copy I can send you.