Marketing yourself to your church

Group, Nov/Dec 2002 by Meier, Scott

How a rotten, stuffy, little office forced me into a powerful epiphany-I can accomplish a lot more in my ministry with the church body behind me. Here's what I've learned about getting the rest of the congregation on my side.

After I landed my dream youth ministry job, I couldn't wait to get started. My boss-to-be walked me down a hallway, then turned a corner to my "office." At least, that's what he called it. I called it a dark little box. It was an old, unused hallway that had a door slapped onto either end. They threw in a desk and some cheap bookshelves, and there you had it.

It had no windows, suspect ventilation, and no privacy. Even the administrative assistants had private offices with windows. Not me. A few years later, when we hired a part-time assistant youth director, my dark little box for one became an even smaller dark box for two.

I had every reason to seethe about that rotten, converted hallway. But it's turned out to be one of the biggest blessings of my ministry.

One of my office doors opened to the church's main hallway-every person in the church walked past me during the week. Because I hated the stuffy air in my office, I'd often open that door to circulate the air. So I got to know people in the church I never would've met otherwise.

On Tuesday mornings the church women met, and they'd often see me in my little box and stop by to introduce themselves. On Wednesdays we had our churchwide Bible study time and the same thing happened. That dark box actually forced me into the congregation's main current. Because of it, I learned a great lesson about effective youth ministry.

As youth ministers we are notorious for segregating ourselves from the rest of the church. We complain that the rank-and-file church members care little about our youth ministry, yet we do little to promote ourselves. The people in our congregations personalize our youth ministry - I mean, when they think about the youth ministry they automatically think of a person. They judge the ministry the way they judge... you and me. If we ignore this reality, we're foolish.

Here's the corollary: The respect you gain as a person will fuel respect for your ministry around the church. Because of the opportunities created by my black box, I've learned how to promote myself to key constituencies.

1. Watch what you wear.

In our culture, "dress casual" has slowly pushed "dress up" out of the pews. In many churches, only the older members get spiffed up for the worship service. Meanwhile, many youth ministers dress like high school students. A tie or a dress? Come on! At my church every staffer must abide by a dress code... except for me. I can stroll in wearing a baseball cap, jeans, and a sweatshirt.

Please, I'm not suggesting we should be dressing like bankers every day. But it's in the best interests of our ministry to dress up when the situation calls for it. Jeans and a baseball cap are fine for a youth Bible study, but khakis and a nice shirt pave the way for a positive relationship when we're speaking to the women's group.

Sure, people are supposed to look beyond our clothing to focus on the fruits of our ministry, but it's not going to happen. Maybe God doesn't care what you wear to church, but some of your church's "pillars" do!

2. Get connected where you "don't belong."

If we isolate ourselves from church committees and groups, we isolate our youth ministry. You won't have a vital youth ministry unless you enjoy widespread support within the church.

The first Wednesday of each month, our church has a morning gathering of older adults. Every month, our adult ministry director invites me to give a report on our youth ministry to this group. It's a fantastic opportunity for me to explain our ministry vision, our fruits, and our approach to dealing with youth culture. Now, if they have a concern about our ministry, they come to me instead of the pastor or a board member.

And I've learned how important our seniors are to my youth ministry. Of course, they're important financial supporters. But after they get to know me, many of them encourage their grandchildren to get more involved in the group. I've learned to laugh with them instead of fearing and despising them.

One warm spring Wednesday, without thinking, I threw on shorts before leaving home. When I got to church, I cringed when someone reminded me I was supposed to speak to the seniors group in 10 minutes. No time to go back home and change. But because I'd developed a good-natured rapport with this group, they smiled, whistled, and complimented me on my "cute knees."

3. Take yourself seriously (but not too seriously).

All of us have to fight an image problem-we're the adults who spend all our time playing with kids. If we're unprofessional in the way we plan and promote our ministry, we confirm that image to many. So when I report about our ministry to groups, I focus on the lasting spiritual goals and fruits of our activities. I don't mean I embellish what's really happening in my ministry. But I make sure to convey the deeper reasons we do what we do.