We talked to 10 youth ministry veterans (with a combined experience of 300-plus years!*) to glean their hard-won wisdom and help you in your work with young people. Pamela Erwin is an author and youth ministry professor, Bethel University, St. Paul, Minn., with more than 25 years of experience in her field. Her passion is to encourage her students to think critically and creatively about adolescent culture and youth ministry.

YWJ: What’s one perennial problem all youth workers face, and how can they address it?
Pamela Erwin: From my perspective, there are two closely related perennial problems: the ability to work through conflict and the need for introspection. In a vocation in which the core of what we do is building relationships with students, adult leaders and parents, there will be inevitable conflict. Therefore, it’s essential to be able to evaluate the criticism that will come one’s way, to be able to sift the hurtful and harmful comments from the comments that are truthful though difficult to hear. Closely related to that is the need for good conflict resolution skills. The ability to work through conflict healthily is vital for the strength of a youth ministry.

YWJ: How’s your approach to teaching youth ministry students changed through time?
Pamela: For those of us who were part of the early growth of the profession of youth ministry, developing good programs was essential. In my early years of teaching, I placed a significant emphasis on programming and organizational leadership development. Though programming and organizational theory is still a key component of my approach to teaching youth ministry, I now place a greater emphasis on an organic approach that encourages youth ministry students to develop the skills of understanding a local community and its people and facilitating a process that allows programming to grow naturally out of the community.

YWJ: What do young leaders most need to succeed as they start out?
Pamela: It goes without saying that to succeed in youth ministry, one needs to have a strong, deep, intimate faith. In my years of youth ministry education, though, I have seen many youth workers who love Jesus and love youth but have failed to thrive in youth ministry. The major stumbling block for many of them has been the shortsighted and limited view they have of themselves and of being a youth minister. It’s true that all one really needs to be a youth worker is a passion for Christ and a passion for students. Thriving in youth ministry demands the capability of not just hanging with teens, but the ability to interact within the context of an organization as a professional who can ably interact with adults: parents, pastoral staff, administrators, teachers, leadership teams and other adult volunteers.

YWJ: What makes for long-term service and success?
Pamela: There are several ways to define success. For me, success is not about numbers or how large your youth ministry has grown, but is more deeply personal: Are you and those around you thriving? Thriving is about flourishing, growing and doing well. To that end, I believe young youth leaders need to see their work in youth ministry as one of a caring profession, that is seeking to foster skills in caring for self, leaders, youth, parents…

YWJ: What developments in youth ministry have encouraged/concerned you?
Pamela: There are two areas of development that I think have greatly enhanced the work we do in youth ministry. The first is the wealth of technological advancements from social networking to media communication capabilities to assist us in worship, retreats, Bible studies and teaching. The second is closely related: the myriad ways youth workers can and do network with each other.

As is often the case, the areas within which one excels are often the same areas in which problems arise. The technological advances have encouraged youth ministry that is sometimes so sharp, jazzy and polished that everyone (youth workers, as well as youth) get caught up in the excitement and energy of the moment; and the simple call of Jesus to “Come, follow Me,” gets lost in the dazzle.

YWJ: Any other insights you’d like to share?
Pamela: This is really nothing new, but it is so easy to get caught up in the details of doing youth ministry—the latest event, preparing the next Bible study or worship session, filling our time with five- or 10-minute snippets of conversations with youth, adult leaders, parents and maybe our family members. The beauty of relishing and savoring the moment—the day we have been given—fades into the background in the busyness and business of our lives. I remember reading something several years ago that has stayed with me, though; unfortunately who wrote it has not, and that is this: We often live in the past, reliving moments, agonizing over what was and what could have been; or we live in the future, anticipating what might be. It is the present moment that is alive with the presence and reality of a holy God, the One who delights in us. Celebrate the mystery and wonder that God desires to grace you with His Presence. Live in the moment.