elevator pitch, The

Group, Sep/Oct 2003 by Miller, Jim, Fanchette, Shawn

What you can do to make your ministry more known, more respected, and more supported within your congregation

What they say: "We're so blessed for all that you're doing with our young people!"

What they mean: "I have no idea what you're doing with our young people. And while I'm glad we have young people in church, I'm even more glad that it's your job to deal with them and not mine."

What they say: "You seem to really enjoy your work."

What they mean: "You seem to really enjoy getting paid to go to Starbucks and Disneyland."

What they say: "Could we have the youth help clean up the fellowship hall this week?"

What they mean: "Could we have the youth doing a little less play and a little more work?"

Every church wants a thriving youth ministry-it's a source of congregational pride. But no matter how outwardly pleased church members seem to be about your ministry, they likely have no idea what you're actually doing. You'll never pick up the phone and hear someone say, "I attend your church, and though I'm not interested in volunteering, I'd just like to know what the youth program does so I can be a more informed member."

Your freedom to innovate, your ability to grow your group, and ultimately your ongoing employment depend on your ministry's reputation with the folks in your church. That means you've automatically signed up to be head cheerleader for what God is doing through your ministry. There are good ways and bad ways to do that-here are six ways I've learned through lots of trial and error.

1. USE YOUR "CHURCH WINDOWS."

It's typically hard for the average churchgoer to get a good look at your ministry-they see it briefly through one of your church's publicity "windows." Because the opportunities are few and sporadic, we have to maximize our "window time." The two primary windows are pulpit time and the church newsletter.1

I think the best way to maximize these primary windows is to equip teenagers to be ambassadors for your ministry. Throughout the year, schedule pulpit time for students to say thanks for how the youth ministry has been changing their lives. Have them do the same thing in written form for your church newsletter. Ask if a student representative can serve on every church committee-make sure you pick students who have the potential to be vocal advocates for your ministry.

When you use church windows, you're putting a spotlight on your ministry. So make sure you prepare your kids for this responsibility. Stuart Bond, an associate pastor in Washington state and a youth ministry veteran, says, "What must happen-what is absolutely critical-is that you painstakingly, deliberately, and definitely rehearse and edit what they have to say. People love kids, but they will love you if those kids' words are well chosen rather than bumbling. They will love you because you took the time to help those kids be a success before others. And when they share at a level that is actually beyond their years, they will communicate the incredible value of the program they have invested in."

The first time we took this advice to heart with our student ministry, a church member overeagerly declared to me, "I can finally look forward to Youth Sunday!"

2. CHOOSE AUTHORITATIVE WORDS.

Whenever you write or speak to the congregation about your ministry, use declarative words to describe what you stand for. Declarative words become true because someone in authority says they're true, as when a judge declares "case dismissed."

So when you put an article in the church newsletter that declares-"Our youth ministry is designed to also reach students who've never been to church before"-you make it true. The same thing happens when you verbally describe your ministry this way. You're the authoritative voice that defines how church members understand your ministry. So decide how you want your ministry to be perceived, then declare that vision in print and in person.

3. BRAG LIKE CRAZY, BUT NOT ABOUT YOURSELF.

When you sign up to be your own advertising agent, you'll have to learn how brag on your ministry, but humbly. It's bragging only if you're taking the credit. It's to God's credit when students join the church, find a family there, and commit themselves to Christ. So feel free to brag on God.

And when you humbly, consistently draw attention back to God's goodness in your work, you launch a preemptive strike against conflict with other staffers. Your senior pastor can hardly feel threatened by you if you're always saying, "Really, this is all about God, not me."

Dan Chun, a pastor in Hawaii, remembers attending a change-of-command service for an admiral in the Navy. The admiral was retiring, and the service was designed to celebrate his career. Before the service, the admiral noticed Chun was seated some distance away from him, so he picked up his chair and placed it next to his own. Chun says, "He didn't think it seemed right for a representative of the church to be seated far away."

Humility is the art of drawing attention to God when attention is being drawn to you.