It is a ministry situation like none other. It involves moving trucks, rollaway carts, sound systems on wheels, renting space at a local school or movie theatre, and a newborn vision of what God could do with a group of people! Many youth workers (volunteer and paid) find themselves in this context with a heart for students and a long list of questions. For example, when will we get students together? How do we minister effectively without a budget? Who will help? I was faced with all of these questions as a new youth worker and had to navigate the complexities of doing youth ministry in a portable church.

Here are a few lessons that I learned along the way.

Lesson 1: Work with what you’ve got!

It was a Thursday night in the summer and it was the first time I was in charge of youth group. The bean bag chairs were out, a dusty game system was hooked up, and the CD player had Switchfoot’s “Dare You to Move” cued up. The thirty students I planned on never showed up but two of them did. The next week, those two didn’t return but one other guy did (he decided to go home early). To say the least, I was discouraged. It was clear to me that I needed to drastically hit “reset” on my expectations. I had to simply be faithful with who I had and who God was sending my way. Over the next three years, this single shift changed everything. What started with two (and a 50% attendance plummet the next week) grew into a consistent, spiritually growing group of 15 students over time.

Lesson 2: Find ministry partners fast but be considerate of your context.

In a portable church that is light on staff and budget, volunteers are extremely valuable. At the same time, I had to realize there were more jobs at times than there are people. I quickly discovered that I needed to find partners in ministry before I was able to recruit weekly volunteers. From hosting our small youth group in their homes to making food to driving vehicles or opening up their pool, ministry partners came alongside me to help with practical needs. The short term nature of these needs were ideal since many of these same people served on our church board or played in the worship band. It wasn’t long after that seven college students and young adults wanted to get involved in weekly ministry to students. I thank the Lord for allowing me to do ministry with such amazing individuals. Rather than waiting for volunteers to show up, I would encourage youth leaders in a more proactive discovery of the untapped possibilities that this age group can provide (especially in a portable church situation where volunteers are scarce and stretched thin).

Lesson 3: Keep it simple and cheap.

By the time I really figured out what I was doing, our students met on Sunday nights in a home setting – ideally rotating to a different home every month. We enjoyed a lot of living room time together as a group, played a game, and did a Bible study together. Our regular attenders brought a snack to share. That’s it! How’s that for a throwback to the good old fashioned classic elements of youth ministry?! Do you want more? For special events, we promoted a Scavenger Hunt in the fall, a Christmas Party during the holidays, and a pool party in the summer. For 51 weeks out of the year, youth ministry didn’t cost the church a penny! I spent all our couple hundred dollar budget on offsetting the cost of an annual whitewater rafting trip in July. We also participated in a summer conference that (with student registrations) paid for itself. Many years later, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. The simple and cheap approach worked for our students and for the church.

Lesson 4: Engage students in church life.

I can’t remember ever deciding this in a staff meeting or even considering alternative approaches, it was just a no-brainer. Our portable church needed students to be serving! They jumped into children’s classrooms, they greeted at the doors, and they participated in setting up and tearing down equipment on Sundays. Probably more than any ministry setting I’ve worked in, the context of a portable church fostered a healthy (and needed) expectation for students to fully participate in church life. It was organic and engaging! Student ownership soared in helping make this new vision for a church a reality. I have since moved on to other ministry settings but I will never forget where I started. And I will never forget where I learned some of the greatest ministry lessons of my career.

The portable church has one- of-a- kind challenges and opportunities that can’t be duplicated anywhere. For all my youthworker friends who are weekly journeying through it, do not lose heart. Find out the story that God is writing at your church and invite students to join you in it!