87: Managing Expectations in Youth Ministry (Joseph Bradley)

Everyone has expectations: you do, and so do your students, parents, volunteers, and church leaders. How can you identify people's expectations and respond with humility and confidence when you don't quite "meet expectations"? 

• Of all the topics we could be discussing today, why do you think it’s important for us to talk about managing expectations in youth ministry? 
• What are some common mixed expectations between youth ministers and senior pastors? 
• What are some common mixed expectations between youth ministers and parents? 
• How do these expectations change depending on your ministry context or church culture? 
• Mixed-expectations are usually discovered because there’s a conflict and you’re trying to figure out what happened… what counsel do you have for youth workers who find themselves in that place? 
• How do we differentiate between expectations, ideas, and demands? Then, how do we respond in a way that’s in line with our ministry convictions and calling?
• Let’s close on a positive note: what are some expectations we should have of our youth ministries, and how can we help cast a vision for those to be shared among other church leaders, volunteers, and parents?

Joseph Bradley is the Student Pastor the First Baptist Church of Covington in Georgia. He’s also the Blog Editor for YPT.

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YPT's ebook, Youth Ministry is Theological Ministry, is a free download for subscribers. This book presents ten articles from the YPT archives to help new readers catch YPT's vision for theologically rich and pastorally wise youth ministry.