There are many things that fight for your time in Youth Ministry.  Some of those things yield results sooner than others.  A lot of those things seem to take a lot of time.

We want to have a ministry of influence and we can never seem to find enough time to get it “all” finished.  Here are five things you can do today that will have big results in your ministry.  These should take you less than five minutes to do, and although they may seem small, they pack a huge punch.

1. Write a handwritten note or card to a student

I try to do this often.  In a world of texting, tweeting, Instagram, and status updates, a handwritten note or card goes a long way.  It seems to have a way to stop us in our tracks for a moment.  The added benefit of mailing a handwritten card to a student is that most of the time the parent will also see it when they check the mail.  For this reason, I recommend using a postcard.  Take a few minutes today and send a handwritten note to a student in your ministry.

2. Encourage your Pastor

I have written before on why I think most Youth Pastors do not get along with their Pastor, as well as things that Parents do not know about their Youth Pastor.  One thing both of these posts talk about is the loneliness of ministry and the burden we carry.  I do not need to know your pastor to know they need to be encouraged today.  Take a few minutes to intentionally encourage your pastor.

3. Write down ONE thing you really want to get accomplished today (or tomorrow if it is already late in the day)

If you are like me, you can easily get overwhelmed and discouraged at the amount of things you need to get accomplished each day.  Many times this actually prevents me from getting the things done that REALLY need to get done.  I have found that if I can write down at least one thing that MUST get accomplished each day I get more things done.  Once that one thing gets done, I move on to the next.  So the question is this,

“If you could only get one item from your to-do list accomplished today what would it be?“

Take a few minutes to look over your to-do list and write your one thing down…and do it of course.

4. Call and pray for one of your Youth Workers (or Youth Pastor)

You need a great team.  You need effective Youth Workers (or Youth Pastor if you are a youth worker).  We are often so intentional about praying for and with the students in our ministry, but how often do you pray for one of your Youth Workers?  Take a few minutes and call and pray for one of your Youth Workers.

TIP: If you wanna go above and beyond, “Tweet a Coffee” to them after the phone call! (…or to me…hey, I had to try)

5. Invite a parent from your ministry to coffee or lunch

If you haven’t figured it out, Youth Ministry today is less about the students and more about the parents.  If you can effectively partner with a parent, you can effectively minister to a teen.  There are a number of reasons I think this is true, but that is for another place and time.  Parents need to know you care.  Parents need to be encouraged and prayed for.  Parents need to know they are not just welcome in your ministry, but wanted.  Take a few minutes today and invite a parent from your ministry to coffee or lunch.

I hope you will take a few minutes today and do at least one of these things, and if you would like to add anything or suggest a “5-minute or less” tip of your own, I am sure that other readers would be grateful.  Just add that into the comment section below.

If you have found this helpful please share it with others.  Thank you so much for all you do for teens!

Photo credit: wwarby / Foter / CC BY