The trials of leading a team of millenial youth workers

Last year was in one way the most disappointing I’ve had in 25 years of ministry. The problem was simply young team members leaving for no apparent reason. Some attempted to spiritualise things by saying the Lord was leading them on, and some of these we challenged by asking them whether God is faithful or not to the commitments He makes. Beware taking the Lord’s name in vain! Most declared their total love and support for us and the vision of ICY, but for no obvious reason decided to quit, and with these it was particularly hard to argue, given there was no rational thinking behind their decisions.

There were few patterns in those quitting. Some were very young, 18 or so. Others older, 28 or so. Some seemed solid as a rock, while some of those who have seen things through live on a permanent roller coaster. The only comfort we drew were that we weren’t alone. Everyone seems to be struggling keeping the millennial generation to their commitments. This is scant consolation though! Ultimately it is hard to see this generation winning anyone for Christ, if their commitment to a task and ability to relate to people is so limited. We certainly don’t particularly want to invest in folk who aren’t going to stay the course, and have been far far more discriminating who we take on. Better a team of two who achieve something than two hundred who don’t.

But the problems with this generation run deeper than that. As I said above, the only comfort we’ve found is that we aren’t alone in having problems! It isn’t personal. I read an article by the Interchangegroup: 7 secrets to working with the millenials; which starts by identifying Millenials’, (those born after 1981), lack of commitment but then goes on to talk of their lack of basic skills such as writing ability and their sense of entitlement which is particularly at odds with the Christian concept of sacrifice in ministry.

My generation finds it hard to see how this generation will achieve anything. How can you stick to the task when ultimately its all about you? How can you relate to anyone when your head is stuck behind a lap top? Don’t you need to do some work if you are to be a youth worker? Then again I need to remind myself, my generation wasn’t exactly a huge success story, and perhaps it is a case of horses for courses. In other words: millenials will reach millenials! I’m not too hopeful though, and bluntly increasingly lass enthusiastic about recruiting a large team of what appear lazy self absorbed quitters. My gut feeling is that we see the worst of it in the UK and America. Most UK youth workers now are millenials and their fruit is pretty minimal. Our experience of Americans with some very notable exceptions is similar. We’ve had a better experience of mainland Europeans. It appears the work ethic of Germans and Scandinavians lives on!

My gut feeling at present is that we need to start a counter-revolution, and this will require a focus on a few hard core kids committed passionately to Jesus, whatever the cost. My second gut feeling is that you don’t find these, God gives them, and to this end we will pray and fast. However these are only gut feelings and over the next few weeks, I’d like to follow up these thoughts and get whatever input you might have too.