3 Practical Investments in Women in Youth Ministry

Sometimes we do things at The Youth Cartel which are revolutionary… which really shouldn’t be all that revolutionary. This is the case with some of the stuff we’re doing right now for the women in youth ministry tribe.

Here’s three things we’ve done which act as practical investments. But this isn’t a brag. It’s an invitation. Join us.

1. BOOK: Earlier this fall we released a great book by Gina Abbas, A Woman in Youth Ministry. Sure, the book has a bunch of practical stuff for women who are currently in youth ministry. But what I loved about Gina’s book is that she tells her story, the real story, of her life as a full-time youth pastor at a variety of churches. I think the book is important for both men and women to read. I think it’d be incredible to read as a church staff… the things that Gina talks about transcend gender while also putting words on negative things the church is doing to hold women back in leadership.
2. THE PLATFORM: Last month, at The Summit, half of the people on stage were women. Thinking back to 2002, at my first big youth ministry event, I started asking… Where are the women? (The same could be said for ethnic and theological diversity.) And over the years I’ve heard the excuses among the various events I’ve been part of planning. (That’s all they are, excuses. I won’t even validate the logic by listing them.) This year we set all of the excuses aside and got it done. And you know what we learned? It was awesome that people didn’t make a big deal out of it. The content of the event was excellent and that’s all that mattered.
3. GATHERING THE TRIBE: This April we’re hosting a gathering of the tribe at the Women in Youth Ministry Campference. Even though Marko and I aren’t going we’re fully supportive of it and obviously investing our resources to make sure it happens. Our Director of Coaching, April Diaz is part of a team collaborating to plan it… and based on what I see I think it’s going to be a great time of fun, encouragement, and practical help.

So that’s what we’re up to. It’s not everything we can do, but I’m proud of the effort we’re able to make as a small start-up. I’d love to hear what other organizations and churches are doing. And, if you’re looking for practical investments you can make we’d love to have you jump in and support these three things above.