Study your culture

this post is dedicated to Stephen Adam, a portion from chapter 3: ed-u-kate.

One of the most important aspects of education you can get as a youth worker is the study of the culture you find yourself in. I’m sure you’ve read up on the beginnings of youth culture and adolescence before. If you haven’t, check out some books by renowned authors—Chap Clark or Walt Meuller. Knowing where youth ministry began might help you understand why it is at where it is now.

When I started my studies in youth ministry, I thought I had things figured out. I had grown up in the 90s and early 2000s and thought “hey, the best way to know something is to live through it”. Little did I know that there was a rich history before my time and even within the past 10 years, there has been a huge change and paradigm shift in our youth culture. The main factor for this shift is that within the youth culture of our North American society, change is one of the most consistent things we can expect to happen. Remember: change is one of the main markers of adolescence. Just as the kids we minister to are going through physical, mental, emotional and spiritual changes; so is the world in which they live.

So what does this mean to you as the youth worker?
Homework. And lots of it.

And the way that you do your homework will change by the setting in which you find yourself in.

For example, if you live within a rural community, much of your homework will take place in one on one meetings or with the families connected within your setting. My best advice to anyone starting out in a new location is to connect as much as humanly possible with the people you are ministering to. Get to know the stories, the past mistakes, the “good old times” and how they have impacted the present situation. Ask as many questions as you can think of; and not just “what do you like to do on your free time”, but well-thought-out questions that you have prepared in advance.

If you live within an urban setting, a good way to study is to look at the trends that have gone through your community (have skinny jeans become passe yet?). Ask how they have differed from communities around and perhaps connected to yours. Find out what is happening within the school systems and other youth based communities. See if you can find some teachers who are active followers of Jesus Christ. Talk to other youth pastors and youth leaders in your city network. Get together one on one with other youth pastors within a 5-10 KM radius and ask them about their struggles, their strengths, what has worked and what hasn’t. I find that the mistakes that other people make are great signs from above that tell me not to do the same stupid things that they did; and vice versa

Another thing you can do is keep your library up to date as well. Mark Twain said it this way "leaders are readers"; and this doesn't end the day you graduate your college or seminary.

Actually, let me pause here for a second and ask you "when was the last time you read a book that helped you in your ministry?". Pause for a second and try to remember a few main concepts. Okay. Back to your library.

As much as I love it when parents and co-workers drop off books from the 70s on “how to grow a youth group”, I love it even more when I hear of a book recently published by someone who knows way more than I do; or a website by someone who’s been in the game for decades and has stood the test of time.

Let me put this out there one more time: Youth Culture will continually change because change is what marks the name of the stage. If we as youth workers fail to recognize this, we will become just as out dated as the Pentium 1 computers that we spent thousands of dollars on when personal computers became a way of the future. Study hard, study often, and then implement what you have studied into the game where you play.