Amanda's ministry principles

It goes without saying that I fully agree with the NAB statement of beliefs, our church’s bylaws and policies, and our mission and vision here at Bethany. However, there are a few other personal principles I follow as I work in ministry!

Days off are days off. Ministry is not a 9-5 job – on workdays, I’m available outside of work hours to a reasonable degree. Sometimes when  I’m home I’ll jot down ideas or read ministry books, and I’m available to answer texts into the early evening. However, I try to protect my official time off as best as possible. I won’t answer calls when I’m not working (texts are great because I can see if they need to be answered right away or if I can leave them for when I’m working), and I don’t keep my phone with me once I’m busy with friends, family, or Sheldon. On my days off (Mondays and Saturdays) I try to keep work out of my head – I love my job, but I love my personal life too! This is one main reason why I don’t miss having Internet at my apartment – I use my personal Facebook account and cell phone for work stuff, so it gets pretty hard to use either on days off because I’m always tempted to respond to messages! If you don’t hear back from me for a couple of days, that’s why.

Parents are partners. The goal of youth ministry is not to replace parents as we mentor, disciple, and teach students. It’s to partner with them! As we run our programs, we assume that parents of our Christian students are teaching them about their faith at home, setting a Christ-like example, teaching them life-skills, responsibility, and critical thinking, and answering tough questions. We aren’t here to replace parents or let them off the hook in any way shape or form. All of our ministry endeavours are to support what’s already being taught in the home. In cases where students come from unchurched families, we do of course take on more teaching responsibility! This year, I also want to focus on equipping parents whenever they need it – so if you would like a recommendation for a great parenting book, have questions about teen culture, or want to meet for coffee to talk about what your child is up to in Student Ministries, please don’t hesitate to call!

Balance is key. I have set goals for what I’m working on and how often. I keep track of what I do with my time each week not only to record my hours, but also so I can be sure that I’m keeping a healthy and productive balance. For example, I try to visit with at least one youth per week, I keep all of my mass communication tasks to Tuesdays, and I set aside a few hours each week for reading ministry books. Without goals, my tendency would be to plan, plan, plan – which is good, until I ignore the other important parts of my job.

Leadership is a top priority. I love working with all the students in our ministry, but I’d be kidding myself if I said I had a close relationship with each of them. If I tried to take each kid out for coffee and connect with each of them on Fridays, I would only be developing shallow relationships. This is where other volunteers come in! By investing time and resources into our volunteer teams, they’re equipped to build relationships with students. Because each of our volunteers has a unique personality and skill set, they’re able to connect with students that I or other leaders just don’t connect with. This year, I’m mentoring two student leaders, and I try to meet with 2-4 other students on a monthly basis. By investing in leaders, we can connect with every kid in our ministry, whereas if I tried alone, I’d crash and burn instantly. If you ever feel as though your child doesn’t have a strong relationship with a leader, let me know. We try to be as intentional about building relationships as possible!

Everyone learns differently. For example, I can’t help but fidget with my hair, a pen, or something else during the service. It keeps me focused! And if someone tries to explain a board game to me without letting me play a trial round, there isn’t a chance I’m going to pick it up properly. I try to write (or find) curriculum that touches on the many different learning styles so that each student is able to connect with the material and actually learn what we’re teaching. Some students learn by talking and sharing (extroverts), some by thinking quietly first (introverts), some by moving and doing group activities (kinesthetic – me!), some by seeing visuals, and some by listening. This is one aspect of my job that my teaching background helps most in! So mom and dad…. That B.Ed. is still getting used J

Students aren’t the “church of the future,” nor is youth ministry a “holding tank with pizza” until teens graduate. Students are fully capable to set an example of living and serving like Jesus no matter what age they are. If we wait until graduation to teach students what ministry is about and where they fit in, we’ll lose them. They are the church of today – yes, we have separate programming, but there is always a time and place for students to be part of the larger Bethany body – in ways such as serving in different ministries, participating in events, and being part of the worship service. I would love to see more cross-generational things happen at Bethany in the coming years.

I’m sure I could keep on going with this list, but I’ll leave it at that for now. Also, my favourite food is pie, my favourite movie is Citizen Kane (but I have many other close seconds!), my favourite hobbies are drawing (with charcoal) and reading, my favourite TV show is The Office, I listen to classic rock, left my heart in PEI, love to bake, have two fat cats named Merry and Pippin, and have read The Chronicles of Narnia more times than I can count. Not essential to ministry, but that’s me in a nutshell!