Beginning at a new church can be tricky–to say the least. Sometimes, student ministry leaders are hired to follow the local church “legend.” But, more often than not, youth directors are hired to replace a previous youth director who was less-than-legendary. How do we know that? The national average student ministry leader tenure is 18 months!

To begin, its worth noting that nobody likes to hear someone blame their issues on the last guy. Ask every president in our nation’s history. You only get away with blaming the last guy for a couple months, then it’s your problem. Why is that? Because the people who hired you KNEW the issues with the person before you, and that’s why they hired you. They hired you to fix it: so, fix it.

Some thoughts about following the last guy:

1. Be honest and identify the weaknesses in your ministry. Believe me, your church knows the existing issues, and blaming them on someone who is no longer filling the student ministry role will not endear you towards your parents and co-workers. However, your church will appreciate the honest assessment of the ministry. Blaming and identifying are two completely different approaches.
2. Set realistic goals to strengthen the ministry areas that are weak. It’s not enough to identify the weaknesses, you must take the proper steps to improve them. If you don’t know how to do that, ask for help. Humility goes a long way.
3. Build on what worked well before you got there. If the person preceding you had an element of their ministry that was absolutely amazing, give them their due credit! Then, keep that momentum going. The only thing worse than trying to claim credit for an aspect of the ministry for which you have no right claiming, is killing an aspect of ministry that is thriving. The pettiness will be obvious to the church.
4. Don’t blame COVID-19. This may seem unfair, but it’s true. Everyone is in the same boat. Everyone is struggling. Everyone has lost relational connections. Everyone is trying to rebuild momentum. Yes, COVID-19 was/is real, and had/has a tangible impact. The reality of the pandemic should be acknowledged. However, don’t be the person who spends the next 6-8 months blaming your woes on COVID-19: be creative, work harder than ever, and be the innovator your church hired you to be.
5. Embrace Community. The local church is where the kingdom grows. Love your members, be gracious when they fail (because you will want grace from them when you fail), and minister to the flock as if this is the last church you will every have the joy of serving.