What are the top two qualities every Youth Worker should have?

I love Youth Workers!  To me there are no better people on the planet.  They love teens, are burdened for them, and chase after them when everyone else seems to run away and avoid them.

When I think about the best Youth Workers I know, and the qualities they have, there are two qualities that they all share in common.  These qualities are what separate the great from the good.  The question is, do you have them?  Here they are:

1. Humility

Every great Youth Worker I know is humble.  Humility is a tough thing to have.  It is one of those things you can have until you realize you have it, and then you become proud.

Humility by itself breaks down so many walls that others put up.  Whether it is a student, parent, or a disgruntled deacon, genuine humility seems to immediately break through the issues at hand.

Teaching is also better received.  Reprove and correction are always better heard and taken from a posture of humility.

If you are a Youth Worker, or looking to recruit Youth Workers…look for humility.

2. Grace

Every great Youth Worker I know also shows grace.  In Youth Ministry this is even more important.

Everyone is always talking to students, telling students what they need to do and what they should not be doing.  Very few actually talk with students.

Grace is hard because we are naturally more legalistic.  From the opening pages of Genesis we see this creep in.  Eve when tempted by the serpent tells him that God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die” (Gen 3:3 ESV emphasis mine).  There is no record in Scripture that God commanded them not to touch the fruit, only that they should not eat it.

Things have not changed much.  We drift towards legalism many times without even realizing it.  If you do not consistently show grace to the students you serve, they will not be willing to share with you when they need it most.

For sure, call them out when they are in sin.  Just do so with grace, love, and compassion.  The last thing teens need, is one more person telling them how they are screwing up their life.

If you are a Youth Worker, or looking to recruit Youth Workers…look for grace.

What are the top two qualities you think make the difference between a great Youth Worker and a good Youth Worker.  I would love to hear what you think.  Leave a comment below and add your voice to the conversation.

Photo credit: Steve Wilson – over 4 million views Thanks !! / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)