How can a young youth worker gain credibility in his or her church?

How many times did someone walk into the youth facility and see me playing some sort of game or immediately start shooting at them with a Nerf gun? How many times did I communicate poorly, get back from a trip late, and drive the church van through a huge puddle or over a dead dog in Mexico? The answer to those questions is a lot, but that was part of my job, right?

I’m a huge fan of doing things that are fun and helping shape memories. I think, as a whole, I did a pretty good job with all of that, and I regret few things I ever did (except driving over that dog). But I also know that, had I been slightly more aware of people’s perceptions of me and how I could have a greater impact if I came across a bit more professionally, I would have changed a lot.

For example, on Tuesdays each week at my current church, we have an all-church-staff chapel. In the life of our staff, this is a pretty important meeting because it’s usually the only time we ever all get together. I make sure on Tuesdays that I do three things. 1. I get there early. One of the major problems with youth workers is that there is a general perception that we always fly by the seat of our pants. Since my church staff members only see me in this type of setting one time a week, I want their perception to be that I am punctual. 2. I sit near the front. This sounds silly, but in general, I think most people expect the youth workers to sit in the back (after sneaking in late) and text during the whole meeting. Sitting near the front shows people that I am engaged. 3. I dress appropriately. Since this is the only time most people see me during the week, I try not to give the perception that flip flops, shorts, and a t-shirt is my everyday attire.

Here are a couple other ways you can gain credibility in your own church:

Be consistent. This is especially important if you are younger because oftentimes the church expects you to be scatterbrained and hit or miss in your leadership style. Make every effort to maintain a solid demeanor, appearance, and attitude in all situations.

Promote expertise. Notice I don’t say be the expert. We need to expose our congregations to good research, practices, and ideas. But we don’t need to be the experts ourselves. Just know what books, speakers, and resources to let people know about. Be the conduit for good information and expertise in youth ministry. Your credibility will jump if people know you will either be able to answer a question or refer them to a source that can help.

Define your role. If you allow others to define your role and pigeonhole you, you will have difficulty overcoming their perceptions about what you do and how much you have to offer. For example, most of us were hired as youth pastors. But the reality is that a big part of our job is ministering to the family as well. Make sure to shape and define your role in a way that gives people a broader perspective of what it is you do. Then, when they have a family question, you might actually be asked what you think.

Communicate well and often. Parents are busy and don’t always read email. If you want them to know something important, you are going to have to reach them in multiple ways. A quick, two-sentence email about a major change sent at 11:59 p.m. the night before a trip isn’t a good way to get parents to think you know what you are doing.

Spend time interacting with the whole church. Early in my ministry, I got in trouble for being a “blur in the parking lot.” What I mean by this is that my goal was to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible with as few interactions as possible along the way. If it was a student I stopped to talk, but if it was an adult, I moved quickly. If you want to gain credibility in the church, you have to spend time with the church.

There’s obviously a ton more that could be said about gaining credibility. I’m grateful that there are two other columns here. My thoughts may be overly simple, but I can only speak from my own experience.

Aristotle argues there are three components of ethos: intelligence (mental habits); virtue (moral habits); good will (emotional habits).

Intelligence. What the older generation wants to know is that the young youth worker is competent. Essentially, do young leaders have the knowledge to figure out how to lead a youth ministry theologically and practically? How to gain intelligence?

Read. This is how I delegate my reading: 70% Christian (Bible, commentaries, theology books, ministry blogs) and 30% secular (adolescent research, New York Times, leadership resources). I also love reading biographies about the dead guys. There is so much to be learned from the guys who went before us.

Listen. Shut your mouth and listen. Listen and learn from other perspectives before giving your two cents. Spend time with others in your community who are way smarter than you and ask them questions about their success.

Education. I think it is huge if youth pastors are seminary trained and have a four-year degree in business. A business degree teaches you how to manage people, and a seminary education will teach you how to think theologically. If your church is willing to pay for an education, do it.

Go to conferences. Youth ministry conferences will teach you the how-to’s and force you to be around experienced and educated youth pastors.

Virtue. The older generation wants to know if you have a strong moral compass in order to make it in ministry without burning or flaking out. One of the top reasons youth pastors don’t make it is moral failure. Character is everything. Character includes such things as self-discipline, modesty, teamwork, integrity, purity, work ethic, loyalty, honesty, courage, tenacity, intelligence, consideration for others, and determination.

Study Scripture on character. Let Scripture transform your character. Be patient, humble, and respectful toward authority (Matthew 25, Luke 8, 2 Corinthians 5, Ephesians 4, and 2 Corinthians 4).

Find older leaders to mentor you. The goal is to illustrate the Paul and young Timothy relationship (1 Timothy 4:12). Ask older and wiser adults to speak into your life. Surround yourself with older adults who have successfully managed work, health, marriage, raising kids, money, and ministry.

Good Will. Having good will means having a good work ethic. The older generation believes high productivity is associated with credibility. The goal is to be known as the church staff member who will always get it done and is trustworthy. Suggestions on how to demonstrate a great work ethic:

Work really hard, especially in the small and insignificant tasks.
Show up early.
Return every phone call and email.
Get excited and think positive when you work.
Set deadlines.
Volunteer for the tough assignments no one else wants.
Every day write down the top three to four tasks you need to get done that day.
Don’t multi-task. Multi-tasking increases your chances of losing focus.

Gaining credibility in the church takes time. Don’t feel discouraged when you are criticized for being young, idealistic, inexperienced, or passionate. Aristotle knew what he was talking about. Therefore, I encourage you to consider adopting Aristotle’s approach.

My first year in youth ministry I learned how to quickly lose credibility in my church:

Misplace the worship leader’s ten-year-old daughter at Disney World. Voice frustrations about leadership with other leadership. Try to fix things myself (FYI: Breaking down on the side of a busy interstate with a van full of teenagers always requires a call back to the church and professional help.). Be exclusively available to the youth ministry.

Looking back, I wish someone had been there to tell me how to own my ministry without disowning the church. There is no price tag on wisdom gained through experience. And my experience tells me, if I want credibility in my church, I’ve got to do a few things (there are others, but here are the few that come to mind first):

Display consistency in my walk with Christ both in and outside the church (over time). Model spiritual formation by developing habits of a growing Christian (over time). Respect leadership, even when I disagree, by communicating in healthy and loving ways (over time). Realize mistakes I make and do what it takes to make them right (over time). Include others by sharing ministry and training others in their gifts (over time). Let honesty be the rule, always choosing the truth over white lies or manipulation (over time). Take responsibility for my work by doing what I said I would do (over time). Help others with their work, doing whatever it takes to further the mission with the gifts I have to share. Seek forgiveness when wrong (each time). Let go of the chip. Whatever past hurt keeps me from focusing on the present needs to be given to God (each time). Lead well from the middle, getting rid of jealousy or feelings of competition, striving to contribute for the sake of the kingdom and for those who are lost. Be seen serving and loving people, in my everyday life. The temptation is to hide because of the social demands of ministry, but the body needs our example, and we need to be seen. My life speaks louder than my all of my words, tweets, and updates combined.

Notice the common denominator in all of these things: time.

For too long I jumped around, waiting for the perfect scenario to do ministry when, all along, the perfect scenario could be found as I remained in imperfect community, with humility, seeking to serve and share the gifts I’ve received with others. When I came to my current assignment, the word God gave me was remain. Remaining somewhere gives a person a track record that can be telling.
“I can trust you.”
“I’ve seen you weather storms.”
“I know you won’t lose track of my kids… Okay, you’ll probably lose track of my kids! But I know you’ve trained and equipped enough leaders that someone will notice quickly and you’ll have a plan.”
“I know when you tell me something, it’s the truth.”
“I know if I’m being corrected it’s because you love me, just like you’ve loved so many before me.”

If you want credibility, stay somewhere long enough for people to give it to you.