While in seminary in 2003 I served at a church plant outside Dallas, Texas that I thought was going to be the perfect church for me. It was new, full of young people, had a pretty outgoing pastor who held a Doctorate of Ministry in church leadership, and everyone had a burden for lost souls in the community. I went in to the position thinking, “Wow, this is the kind of church I could stay at forever, where all my ministry dreams can be fulfilled.” Everything started well. Kids were engaged, parents were welcoming, and unsaved students were giving their lives to Christ. How exciting!

But within a couple months that excitement turned into resentment as many in the congregation, myself included, desperately wanted to leave the church. Many unhealthy things were taking place, but for me it was mainly three issues:

1. Outreach is great, but not when it turns into a spiritual recruitment method for increasing church attendance.
2. I can’t stand being the person adults come to for counseling because no one trusts the pastor.
3. Being an employee does not make me a pawn to fill in all the cracks that volunteers in other parts of the church are leaving open.

These issues and more began to build and build. Criticism began to build from the pastor that I was spending too much time teaching and not enough time reaching, especially as people started leaving the church. The more people left, the more I was expected to “recruit” and replace them with fresh blood. Furthermore, I was expected to fill in the ministry holes others were leaving behind just because I was paid staff and the pastor told me to do it as my boss. I soon dreaded Sunday mornings. I had to get there very early every morning and stay late to cover new responsibilities that had nothing to do with youth ministry or things I was slightly passionate about. It got worse as church members started sharing things with me followed by, “Oh, and please don’t tell any of this to Pastor.” I told them I couldn’t do that, but the people continued to put me in an awkward position between them and the pastor, which made our pastor envious and ruined our relationship even further.

I often vented about the situation to one of my seminary professors that I met with every week. He advised me early to leave the church, something he usually advises against, but I loved the kids there so much that I couldn’t bring myself to leave them. Plus, I knew that if I left it would be a long time until another youth pastor would come for them. So I hung on despite my prof’s wisdom.

Finally, one Sunday morning was the straw the broke the camel’s back. The pastor said something to me that made me so angry I almost went straight home to write my resignation letter, but because of the kids, I stayed through the service and wrote it later that afternoon. Unfortunately, three months later in 2004 the church closed their doors anyway and completely dissipated.

The ministry dip was huge for me at this church. I started out on top of the world, sunk to having the weight of the church on my shoulders and then abandoned it altogether. I didn’t even start looking for a new ministry position until about a year later. But through the dip I learned a couple very valuable lessons that have significantly impacted my ministry involvement since then.

1. Students ultimately belong to God. He will take care of them with or without me.
2. Youth workers are not little helpers to fill holes in my ministry. I need to use them to serve where their God-given passion lies, even if I have to create new areas of ministry for it to happen. (More on that regarding this experience here)
3. When interviewing for a new youth ministry position, I make SURE my values are aligned with both the church’s written and unwritten values.

Tim Schmoyer is the blogger behind Life in Student Ministry, husband to Dana, and a youth pastor in Alexandria, Minnesota.

Dip Series Headquarters

Sponsored by: Raising Lazarus: A Fund for Hurting Youth Workers.

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Have you ever wondered why people quit ministry? Have you ever wondered why you haven’t quit yet? Have you ever been in the middle of a very important ministry project, one that you felt would make you or break you, and it broke you?

If you have felt this way, than this series is for you.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a youth ministry volunteer, a nursery worker, a church staff member, or even the Senior Pastor, we all experience the same struggle and ask ourselves the same question: Is this worth it?

The Dip Principle: Recently I read Seth Godin’s book, “The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit,” and I was totally energized. Here’s a quick summary.

When you start something new you are full of energy and ideas and the people around you are cheering you on… so a new task seems easy and is full of rewards. Then you hit The Dip.

The Dip is the long hill you must climb to become really
good at your new task. The difference between being “just OK” at
something and being extraordinary at it is mastering this “new thing”
better than anyone else you know. Whether you want to have the best
Children’s Program in the world or be the best youth ministry speaker
in your city, you have a hill to climb! The sad thing is that initial
successes (in whatever you are doing) can actually give you a false
sense of ease… and when the going gets tough, most people give up on
being the best and settle for just being adequate. But you can overcome
The Dip and be the best. But it’s going to take more than just more
hard work. To become the best, you may have to redefine what you can be
the best at or you may need to quit other things you are currently
doing to focus all your energy on the new thing that you will be the
best at. Read more about The Dip

The series goal:
When it comes to people dropping out of volunteer and paid ministry at
their church… I’m fed up! I’m sick of people getting burned by their jobs and/or
burned out of ministry altogether. But more than just ranting about it I want to help God’s
people see that they can succeed. So, I’ve asked a series of people who
I judge to be successful in ministry to tell us their “Dip Story.” Some
bloggers will tell you what they had to give up to become really good
at one thing. Others will tell you how they determined what God wanted
them to be great at. Others will tell you how The Dip destroyed them.
But their singular goal is to encourage those in the middle of The Dip.
We don’t want you to give up! The message of Jesus Christ, the redemption of lost people, and the mission of Christ’s Church, is too important.

Dip Story Bloggers: (emerging list, check back!)

Bobby WIlliams
Chris Day
Gerrard Fess
Jason Aten
Len Evans
Mary Beth McCandless
Tim Schmoyer
Adam McLane

More bloggers wanted! If you are in ministry, volunteer, full-time, or part-time and are inspired to write your Dip Story… email it to mclanea@gmail.com.

Sponsored by: Raising Lazarus: A Fund for Hurting Youth Workers.

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