Ministry Incubators is part of the larger Ministry Architects umbrella. While we both have some unique DNA (we like to think of Incubators as the quirky little sister of eldest daughter Ministry Architects), there are enough shared values and understanding that we can be under the same roof. 

One of the key ones, that we got from big sister Ministry Architects, is in the value of systems. Ministry people sometimes make the mistake of thinking of their work as too sacred, too esoteric, to be confined by a spreadsheet or a schedule. But we always argue the opposite: our work is too sacred, the Spirit too dynamic, for us not to run a tight ship. 

Systems, the scales and ball-handling drills of ministry, are what make us able to play the game, to improvise along with the Holy Spirit’s movement. Ministry Architects President Trey Wince’s newsletter is called The Scaffolding, and for good reason, it’s one of the primary metaphors we use to describe the role that these systems play. They are the thing you have to build first to allow you build the thing you actually want to build. 

I am leading an intensive at the Progressive Youth Ministry Conference this week that was all about systems and sustainability, and I found myself spinning over how to frame it, how to make the case to a group of passionate, talented, called youth ministers, who were invested enough in the idea of systems to be in the room, but clearly still felt like they had a lot to learn. Do I make a theological case? God making order out of chaos in Genesis, or the shepherd only knowing to leave the ninety-nine sheep to look for the one, because he was counting them? Did I make an appeal to my own perceived expertise as a consultant, or a “veteran” youth minister (a career that considers anyone over 30 a veteran is its own red flag), hoping they’d want to do it my way?

Or did I tell them the truth? That I developed strong systems because I was desperate not to quit my job? That I loved being a youth pastor, but constantly felt harangued by parents, pastors, congregants, to somehow be better, to chase ever-moving goal posts of attendance and depth and commitment and availability? Did I tell them that I spent my twenties developing systems, constantly improving, tweaking, perfecting, trying to convince a job I loved to love me back? 

I decided to tell them at least some of it, because I was worried that’s why they were there too. I was worried not that the youth pastors had unorganized, chaotic systems (maybe they did, but that doesn’t worry me much). I was worried that they had fine, even good, systems, but were in an environment where they still felt like it wasn’t enough, and that if they could just get it right, then things would be easier. 

That does worry me, because it’s a recipe for burnout, and not just burnout, but burnout that pastors are trained to blame themselves for. If they had figured out a better work-life balance, if they had been more protective of their sabbath, if they had built better community for themselves, then they would have been able to fulfill their call for their whole lives. 

But they didn’t. And now they can’t. And they feel like they failed the church, themselves, and even God. 

I want to teach about systems and sustainability, and offer all of these youth pastors all the tools they will need to lead well, hopefully forever. But I also want them to know that it was ok if they didn’t, and that the best systems in the world may not be enough. 

As I prepped slides about systems, for volunteers, programming, communication, etc, I realized the unexpected gift those systems had given me: they gave me the confidence to know (eventually) that I actually was doing a good job, that my ministry did run well. They gave me the space to take a step back from the frantic action of ministry and evaluate whether I actually belonged there anymore. And when I didn’t, those systems gave me a way to leave, because I knew everything would be just fine without me. 

This week, consider the systems you have in place, the ones you hope to build, and what they could give you the space to do if they ran properly. And if you need help getting started, give us a call, we’d be happy to help.