Looking to Hire a Youth Pastor?
Then Start by Reading This!
Below is a list of things we would want you to consider in helping you hire a youth pastor. Please send us feedback if you see something on here that is confusing or if you do not see something on here that should be. We value your input as we exist to serve you in the Lord. To that end we offer you the following guide.
Looking for the right fit
The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. So, let's look at a few things that you may find helpful as you begin your youth pastor search.
Know Your Vision and Values
What does your church stand for? What do you find important? This may seem like an easy answer...you probably have a vision and mission statement that says what your churches vision and values are. And they may be accurate. However, they may not be complete or completely accurate. Usually a churches vision and value are found where they spend most of their time, best resources and most valuable people. It would be good to look at those things first before you hire a youth pastor.
Get the Right People on Board
Grab some parents who are invested in the youth ministry. Get them involved in the hiring process. Give them ownership of the process, but make sure they understand and are fully behind the vision and values of the church.
Finding the right person
Cast a Wide Net
Post your job on our site and post it on other web sites such as youthspecialties.com.
Ask Them About Their Spiritual Life
Do they pray? How often? What is God doing in their lives? What books are they reading? Do they fast? If not, are they open to it?
Analyze Their Character
Do they love kids? Do they understand what it takes to "earn the right to be heard" with kids? Do they like to have fun (it is a sin to completely bore students all the time you know)? And most importantly... are they teachable?
Check References
Especially their senior pastor if they are switching from another church.
Ask the Right Questions
Find out their vision and values by hearing their heart and having them tell their story. See where they spend most of their time and resources in ministry.
Have the Lunch Meeting
Have the staff members who would interact with the potential youth pastor on a semi-regular basis take him or her out to lunch. Engage in an imaginative discussion of how a day or season might go and try to hear how they would fit in with you. Be creative to figure out if they have a good personality fit with the rest of the team.
What About Their Age and Their Role in Life?
Do you want a single 20 something person? Do you want a young married or someone even older? Do you want a woman, a man or does it matter? How much experience do you want them to have? (Please note that we do not recommend ever hiring someone right out of high school) These are questions you need to consider.
Keeping the right person
The average stay for a youth pastor is about two years (according to the latest info from youth specialties).Though this is a short time it is actually up from what it used to be...18 months! This is a sad state of affairs. Student (especially high school students) can be very fickle and it can take a while for a youth pastor to earn the right to be heard. So to have them come in, gain the trust of students and then leave can have devastating effects. Sometimes youth pastors leave for good reasons. Heck, God may even call them away after a year or two but what we want to make sure is that the church does not set them up to fail. Here are some things we think will help.
Pay Them
You cannot expect a young person or a young married to stay long if you are paying them $30,000. Know that up front.
Don't Treat Them as a Junior Staff Member
Look, working with kids is hard enough. Long nights, long weekends and often little affirmation are tough but treating them like an inferior staffer just adds to the difficulty of a difficult job.
Force Them to Take a Retreat Day Once a Month
Get them away from the office, away from kids and away from their friends and families. Provide them with a paid work day that they go off alone somewhere and seek God. After all, you cannot be poured out unless you are filled up.
Provide Them With or Encourage Them to Have a Spiritual Director
This needs to be someone other than the pastor. In fact, it probably needs to be someone outside the church. Someone who will listen to them and is safe to talk with about ANYTHING. Someone who can give wise spiritual counsel.
Make Sure They Are Growing in a Disciplined Spiritual Life
Discipline is a bad word these days. But know this...the first 3 things to go in a pastors life are diet... exercise... and........ devotional life! Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that a youth pastor is not only maintaining a disciplined spiritual life but is growing in one.
Follow Up
Support the youth pastor. Make sure they are heard and being cared for. Make sure they are held accountable for a disciplined spiritual life and...
Pray For Them Daily
Pray for your youth pastor all of the time.
Related:
Post a job on our site.
Involved in Youth Ministry for over 10 years, Rev Chris Zoephel has worked with junior highers, senior highers and those who act like these folks both as a paid staff member and as a volunteer in churches and para church organizations. These days most of his time is spent chasing his son around, keeping his office somewhat organized and trying to point others toward Christ. Currently Chris is on staff at Immanuel Anglican Church in Destin, FL as the Pastor of Discipleship (which includes being a youth pastor). Chris also serves as Director of YAMIA for the Anglican Mission in the Americas.
