Chuck Swindol refers to his pursuit of excellence in life: “committing myself to excellence while many are comfortable with the mediocre, aiming high though most seem to prefer the boredom of aiming low, and marching to the beat of another drummer while surrounded by a cacophony of persuasive sounds pleading me to join the ranks” (Living Above the Level of Mediocrity, Page 12). Excellence refers to the way in which leaders live and act in the executive of their vision.
1. The Pursuit of Excellence
The concept of excellence is highly popular in the media today. Everyone is striving, or being urged to strive, for excellence! Listen to how various writer have challenged people to pursue excellence: “To excel is to go beyond the average and at times to achieve the best! If non-Christians enlist so much energy and excellence, can Christians afford the luxury of anything less than their best?” (Walter Johnson). “It takes action to achieve excellence - deliberate, careful, relentless action - there are no shortcuts to quality” (Ted Engstrom). “I’m just the kind of person who’s going to really strive to do the best he can do no matter what...I always try and do the best that I can at anything I do” (Michael W. Smith). “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Paul in Colossians 3:17).
If excellence is going beyond the average and at times achieving the best, then we can understand excellence by considering what it means to be average. To be average is to be mediocre, which is defined as, “neither very good, nor very bad; a peak of middle quality, ordinary.”
There are two aspects where excellence is needed. Firstly, in the personal life of the youth leader and secondly, in the running of the ministry.
2. The Pursuit of Personal Excellence
A. Developing a Life Plan
Most businesses have a business plan that describes the mission of the business: what it hopes to accomplish; what the product is all about; a description of resources, both human and capital; a definition of a certain market and its potential; and an analysis of the possibilities for sales, revenue and profit. Would it be possible for an individual to create a life-plan?
(1) What would it look like?
Possibly a few pages of a loose-leaf notebook that can be updated regularly as new data and experiences are accumulated.
(2) What would it accomplish?
It would set out all the possibilities for personal growth and development and bring together a statement of assets and liabilities (not financial, but intellectual, emotional, relational and spiritual). The result would be an organised understanding of self and where life is heading.
A life plan could consist of the following entries:
| 1 | A listing of significant past experiences (successes and failures), learning achievements, gifts and capabilities (natural and spiritual) and key relationships. |
| 2 | An honest assessment of major things yet unlearned, negative tendencies and habits that have to be overcome through discipline, health realities, unresolved relationships where there is bad feeling, and present status of relationship with God. What fear |
| 3 | A status report about friends and intimate relationships and what could be done to strengthen them. What is needed from them, and what will be sacrificed to sustain or develop them? |
| 4 | A description of things enjoyed in vocation, leisure, service to people and personal growth. What aims are there for the coming years in terms of personal achievements in learning, travelling, making or creating? |
| 5 | A mission statement: a simple sentence or paragraph of what one has been called by God to accomplish in this lifetime. |
| 6 | A listing of the things that might be needed to accomplish the mission, such as vocational training, the geographic location in which to live, the support of family and friends, further education, the acquisition of a mentor, spiritual maturity, etc. |
| 7 | A general projection of vocation. Where is the current track headed, and where should it go? Are there other possibilities that should be listed? |
| 8 | A listing of financial goals? How will they be achieved? And what will be done with the resources when the goals are met? |
| 9 | A realistic schedule projecting the step-by-step process to follow in accomplishing the mission. |
B. Developing Excellence in Character
Stephen Covey (The Seven Habits, Page 49) refers to the Maturity Continuum - from dependence to independence to interdependence. We begin life totally dependent on others, being directed, nurtured and sustained by others. Gradually we become more and more independent - physically, mentally, emotionally and financially - until we are able to take care of ourselves and are self-reliant. As we grow further we realise that human life is also interdependent - we realise the importance of relationships.
Dependence is the paradigm of you - you take care of me; you come through for me; you didn’t come through; I blame you for the results (dependent people need others to get what they want). Independence is the paradigm of I - I can do it; I am responsible; I am self-reliant; I can choose (independent people get what they want through their own efforts). Interdependence is the paradigm of we - we can do it; we can cooperate; we combine talents and abilities to create something greater together (interdependent people combine their own efforts with the efforts of others to achieve their greatest success.)
The following characteristics are evident in interdependent leaders:
(1) Understand the Individual
Interdependent leaders try to get to know people; to discover their interests and needs. Stephen Covey’s fifth habit of highly effective people is vital here: “seek first to be understand, then to be understood”.
(2) Attend to Little Things
Interdependent leaders engage in little kindnesses and courtesies to others.
(3) Keep Commitments
Interdependent leaders do what they promise, because they know that people build their hopes around promises. If a leader can’t keep a promise they should explain and ask to be released from the promise.
(4) Clarify Expectations
Interdependent leaders ensure that expectations are always clear and explicit up front.
(5) Show Personal Integrity
Interdependent leaders know that integrity generates trust. Honesty is conforming our words to reality (telling the truth) while integrity is conforming reality to our words (keeping promises and fulfilling expectations). Leaders show integrity when they are loyal to those who are not present; when they treat everyone with the same set of principles; and when they avoid communication that is deceptive or vile.
(6) Apologise for Failure
Interdependent leaders apologise quickly from their heart when they fail, and not just out of pity.
(7) Love Unconditionally
Interdependent leaders truly love others without conditions, without strings, which helps people feel secure, safe and affirmed in their essential worth, identity and integrity.
3. The Pursuit of Ministry Excellence
A. Foundations for Ministry Excellence
Thomas Peters and Robert Waterman, In Search of Excellence, mention the following assumptions of business management that are relevant for youth ministry:
(1) People Think of Themselves as Winners
Yet people are normal and often do not win! People respond better to leaders who refer to their successes more than to their failures. They need praise!
(2) People Have a Left and a Right Brain
The imaginative, symbolic right side of the brain is at least as important as the rational, deductive left. People are concerned about what feels right, and not just about what is logical.
(3) People Have a Wonderful Capacity to Learn and Store Information
But most people are better at remembering stories than facts, better at remembering movie plots than sermon outlines, so leaders must make plans, goals and strategies that are simple and vivid.
(4) People Respond to External Rewards and Punishments
While leaders would like young people to be motivated from within, because of their love for Christ, the reality is that they often need rewards and incentives before they will get involved in a project.
(5) People Judge Beliefs More by Actions than by Words
For example, if leaders say that every person on the youth leadership team is important, yet never give them responsibility for tasks, their actions will communicate a different message to their words. People see actions!
(6) People Sacrifice to Institutions that Provide Meaning
If leaders attempt to build a youth group of teenagers who are committed to the group, they must be committed to them and meet their needs.
B. Dimensions of Ministry Excellence
According to Peters and Waterman seven variables characterise companies functioning with excellence. These variables can be applied to a youth ministry context:
(1) Structure
In order to minister effectively to a wide spectrum of age groups, some form of division into smaller age-groupings is required. A group catering for too broad an age-spectrum will be ineffective.
(2) Strategy
A strategic planning process must form a part of the foundation of the group. The group needs a mission statement: a reason for existence, goals to reach and an action plan to help it accomplish its goals.
(3) People
A growing youth ministry has an ongoing need for new leadership. The group must have a strategy for developing leadership and be concerned about motivating youth to leadership. The youth pastor must also recruit and involved adults in the leadership team.
(4) Leadership
If the youth leader has a leadership style that discourages youth from using their gifts, they will produce a group of youth uninvolved in decision making and planning and therefore uncommitted. The way the leader relates to other leaders and makes decisions will determine the effectiveness of the group.
(5) Procedures
The group needs an ongoing process to evaluate ministry effectiveness and a procedure for budgeting effectively. The way something is done is as important as what is done.
(6) Values
The youth group needs a clear vision to help leaders, parents and young people understand why they do things the way they do. They need a picture of how they want people to come through the ministry and a clear indication of the values and beliefs they are trying to communicate to youth.
(7) Strengths
The group is competing for the attention of the young people, so leaders must know what they have to offer youth that is unique. An effort to impart life skills to young people so that they can live effective Christian lives will produce results in the group.
C. Guidelines for Ministry Excellence
Duffy Robbins, in Youth Ministry Nuts and Bolts, interacts with Waterman and Peters and suggests the following guidelines for excellence in youth ministry:
(1) Put People First
No matter how busy leaders are, how zealous their vision, or how demanding their responsibilities they must put young people first. An excellent ministry to youth puts the needs of youth first, and cares for their well-being at all times. Leaders put people ahead of programmes when they:
(a) Focus on the number of leaders as much as on the number of youth involved. A ratio of one leader to every ten youth will ensure maximum involvement and interaction.
(b) Urge leaders to spend time with youth outside of organised meetings. Leaders who stay close to their ‘customers’ will be the most effective in building quality relationships.
(c) Follow-up first-time visitors within a week of their initial visit to the youth group. This can be done by a letter, telephone call or a personal visit - but it must be done!
(d) Survey youth and leaders about activities to be planned, topics to be studied, and any changes to be made. One of IBM’s company policies is that every customer complaint is answered within 24 hours.
(2) Encourage Creativity
Leaders should be encouraged to discover better ways to do what they do, and have the freedom to try new strategies to reach their goals. As groups grow they tend to become more conservative, less creative, and less innovative. An excellent youth ministry has an organisational climate that allows for autonomy and initiative. Leaders can foster this by: (a) sowing seeds of encouragement - say, “Try it, I’m sure it will work!” (b) giving away ownership - this encourages innovation! (c) Not being afraid to fail - those who attempt new things will occasionally fail! (d) allowing time for incubation - give people sufficient time to be creative - plan well in advance!
(3) Develop People
Excellence in youth ministry comes when people are treated with respect and taken seriously. No one is considered immature or unfit for ministry (John 14:12-14; Ephesians 4:11-13). While leaders may that they believe in productivity through people they often show by their actions that they believe in productivity through profit (“a bigger budget will improve our ministry”); productivity through preaching (“I need to give youth more doctrinal teaching”); or productivity through programmes (“few youth come to Bible study, but we get huge crowds to social events, let’s cut the discipleship programme”). Productivity through people focuses on the priesthood of all believers - every believer is capable of and called to ministry. So youth ministry must discern, develop and deploy gifted people. This involves trusting peoples’ abilities and ideas and believing that they can make a significant contribution.
(4) Communicate Vision
The excellence of an organisation is determined by clear and communicated vision. Without a clear vision the leadership become preoccupied with pleasing everybody and they end up accomplishing nothing. They end up tinkering - trying to perfect techniques without any purpose. Duffy Robbins says, “One of the gravest mistakes in youth ministry is ministering without vision - being stimulated into action through the latest resource, nudged into submission by some ruling elder, or halted by some bored teenager who doesn’t consider the ministry adequately entertaining.” (Nuts & Bolts, Page 50).
He suggests that youth leaders ask the following questions to evaluate the clarity of the vision:
(a) What are we here for? The leaders must clarify what they are trying to accomplish through the youth programme. A regular clarification of the purpose for ministry will ensure effectiveness.
(b) What do others see? If someone observed the youth ministry for a month, what values would they discover? Remember that values are communicated most accurately when they are not intentionally being communicated.
(c) How do we make decisions? When leaders check the criteria they use to evaluate and change ministries they uncover the values that they hold.
(d) How precious are our decisions? Leaders must listen to discussion in leadership meetings. When techniques and methodologies are precious ministries are seldom guided by vision.
(e) Are we taking our pulse every year? Frequent checks give early warning of inaccurate and unclear vision. Youth pastors should schedule regular meetings with their youth-ministry constituency - youth, parents, leadership team members and congregational leaders - to keep them informed about the vision and their role in the fulfilment of that vision. They must constantly preach the vision, model the vision, remind themselves of it as they plan, and make it known to the leaders, youth and their parents. This requires a clear, written mission statement. Leaders must ask of activities: “Do they fit our mission?” and “How do they help us to reach our goals?”
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