Feed Your Soul Daily
I'm sure you have heard the old saying "You can't pour from an empty cup". Same goes for saving souls. If you are not taking care of your own spiritual life, you will not be able to take care of the souls of your youth group. Hopefully you can find some helpful resources below that will help your spiritual life so that you can keep filling your cup.
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I've been told many times that the average life of a youth minister is 18 months. I truly believe the reason for this is burn-out and lack of support. I have found that if you are in this ministry for money, you probably will not last long. I know that I could work almost anywhere else and make more money with a lot less stress, but I would also miss out on all the wonderful blessings this ministry brings.
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So how do you keep from getting burned out? If I knew, I would be a pretty popular speaker, but I do know what works for me. Here are some ways I keep from getting burned out:
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Daily Rosary - prayer for your youth, your family, those you know are suffering, and don't forget to pray for yourself! Pray for strength, pray for understanding, pray for the Lord to work through you.
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Weekly Adoration - Hopefully your parish has an Adoration Chapel. If not, try to find another parish close by that has one. Take 30 minutes with the Lord in quite prayer. Most importantly, L-I-S-T-E-N to the Lord! I cannot stress this enough. When I think I know all the answers and have it all under control, He reminds me that I indeed, do NOT have the answers, nor do I have it all under control. Only He is in control.
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Support Group - Find your people that you can vent to without the venting going any further. This might be your spouse or significant other, family members, co-workers, or your core team of volunteers. Whoever it may be make sure they are loyal to you and will not share these with others. Sometimes we just need to vent and move on.
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Core Team - These are your volunteers that can help you organize, plan, and help your ministry thrive. I was very lucky in that the YM before me had established a wonderful group of volunteers that I inherited. Some of these volunteers are now my best friends. If you were not as lucky, pray first, then recruit. I find it best to contact those who the Lord lays on your mind in prayer, then recruit through the bulletin or through group posts. Be sure to have enough volunteers that they can take time off to be with their own families without causing a hardship to your program.
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Take Care of Yourself - Your body is connected to your soul. If you are not nourishing your body, it can effect everything else. Be sure to eat healthy. I like to bring healthy snacks and/or meals to my youth nights to make sure I get enough good food to eat. It's so hard to remember this part when you are taking care of everyone else.
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How do you feed your soul? Do you have any great suggestions that might help others? Please let us know!