
Let’s be honest. Most of us aren’t in the driver’s seat of our organizations. But in an unknown season of unprecedented events and uncommon decisions, we can quickly feel the weight of the things facing those in the front seat.
Maybe it started with curating your response to new and changing guidelines being offered by the government. It was, about then, that you quickly realized that nobody had a great answer for smoothly and swiftly answering the question, “What are we doing about this?”
Perhaps you felt the heaviness return when you began brainstorming how to best connect your technologically-unaware congregation together in a society that is being forced online. Let’s be completely honest, you’re still trying to make that work.
Or it might have happened when your first real proximity to the virus was felt and it became clear that your front seat leader was in the high-risk population themselves. Right then, the feeling that potentially no one was in the driver seat became abundantly clear.
We have all begun to feel the gravity that all of this is bringing to leaders of all shapes and ranks. It has drummed up anxiety, infused fear into our decision making, and has sowed a seed of instability that has caused leaders of all stripes to respond in a variety of ways; positive and negative; healthy and unhealthy; virtuous and questionable.
While this uncharted territory faces every pastor, youth pastors around the country are being leaned on, asked of, and consulted with to help develop solutions for this new normal. It’s in this space of “opportunity” that the requests can quickly become overwhelming and soon the dark spiral of exhaustion, division, and burn out can begin to overtake your heart.
I have to say that I’m blessed to be in a context where I have been leaned on, but not left out to exhaustion. I’m grateful to have the leaders that I do. However, in the last week or so, I have had a bunch of conversations with youth pastors around the country that don’t have things as good or are facing situations that are all the more difficult because of the added pressures that come from this event.
So, before I offer anything, I just hope that those youth pastors who are feeling it and are reeling – I hope you know that you are not alone and you are seen. Your Heavenly Father sees you and is for you. And so are we. Please don’t hesitate to reach out and make your situation known. We want to pray for you and lift you up.
Now, it’s clear that the last couple weeks have proven to be a bit crazy. It doesn’t look like the next few will return us back to normal, either. So, I wanted to offer three things to help frame the conversation going on in your head and your heart.
Three unprecedented things for navigating an unprecedented normal. These three things come from wrestlings I have had after conversing with youth workers and I hope they can help you.
First – Give unprecedented grace.
As I have said, and you know this to be true, this season is unprecedented and is uncharted land for all of us. No pastor, youth pastor or senior pastor, has navigated these waters. While the gospel and our God are unchanging, this seems to be changing our society in moments and minutes.
And before you think this is just about giving more grace to everyone around you (it is partially that), give grace to yourself. Many churches and youth ministries had very little time to try and reorient their connection points to online experiences. It’s ok if things are going great right now. You will discover the right path for you when you live into the grace that was meant to drive and guide you.
Second – Keep unprecedented care of your soul.
The urgency of the situation and the importance of the mission can suggest that every sacrifice should be made, every effort exercised, and anyone who isn’t giving 125% isn’t worthy. This is the exact opposite of what is required by Church leaders now. If you’re like me, this event has rapidly revealed just how important your prayer life and personal discipline is for level-headed and spirit-guided decision making.
If there was ever a time to pray and invest in the intimacy of your relationship with Jesus, that time is now. But this might mean saying “no” to the snazzier YouTube elements and it might mean that you don’t have time to make all of those calls right now. However, it might mean that you sacrifice and serve in new and different ways. You’ll never know the difference of what you could do and what you should do if you don’t first posture yourselves properly in prayer and rich relationship with Jesus.
Third – Lead in unprecedented ways.
One of the most difficult things about this season is the need for youth pastors to lead up well. It means having the empathy to see that the same stress, anxiety and weight that you feel, the front seat feels too; and probably to a higher degree. This doesn’t excuse their leadership decisions. But it should frame them in such a way that when you don’t understand, you gracefully ask more questions; when they heap responsibilities onto your already overflowing plate, you humbly remind them of what you’re leading. And when they double-down, you lead in new ways to make new ministry opportunities happen for those around you.
Unknown territory often causes us to rely on previously unknown resources and it usually presents itself in people who are ready to lead. Empower these people! Find ways to empower the Church to be the Church and serve each other. Every obstacle can offer opportunities to grow and disciple the Church if you release the people to step up to the opportunity. President Teddy Roosevelt said it well when he said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” I think that fits. Let’s do that.
This season will pass. When? Who really knows? But in the midst of the changes — and the changes of the changes, know that you are fully equipped to navigate this season. As Peter said it in 2 Peter 1:3, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” Unprecedented times requires uncommon leadership to foster the ground for those previously unforeseen results.
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Geoff Cocanower is a husband, a son, and the Associate Pastor of Student Ministries at Hope Missionary Church in Bluffton, IN where he leads the team of adults who minister to high school students as well as young adults. In addition to contributing to the DYM blog, Geoff co-hosts a podcast focused on the issues, questions, and blessings of leaders who aren’t in the driver seat of the organization called The Backseat Leadership Podcast. Interesting fact about Geoff is that he is a high school football and volleyball referee in his spare time and is a legacy member and loves all things DYM. You can find Geoff online here!