The longer I do ministry, the more I understand that I never make good decisions in a bubble. Whenever I bounce ideas off of volunteers or students, they will begin to see how we can improve.

But whenever I take my ideas to other youth pastors, it’s such a game changer!

I love getting to talk and network with other youth pastors because they’re in the trenches. They get it. They’ve run the events, tried different curriculum, and have some blood, sweat, and tears to show for it.

If I was just starting out in youth ministry today, the first thing I would do would be to find other youth pastors I could connect with and try to start hanging out with them on a regular basis.

Find Local Youth Pastors

If you live in a city, then there’s a high chance you’re not the only youth pastor in town. I’d offer to take another youth pastor out to lunch or coffee and ask questions about the difficult things they’re dealing with.

More than likely, they would have some insight or at least be able to commiserate with me. You don’t have to do events together. You don’t even have to belong to the same denomination. Hanging out with these pastors always helped me unpack some of the issues I was having.

Make Conference Friends

I also love going to conferences! I would try to skip a breakout session or at least make sure that I wasn’t going to eat lunch or dinner on my own. Instead, I’d try to find some other youth pastor who had a church about my size or maybe a little bigger and ask how ministry is going for them. What are their pitfalls? What are their successes?

The great thing about making conference friends is that usually you can develop a pretty good text message group chat where you can share ideas, ask for feedback, and share the youth ministry meme you might not put on your personal social media but still think is really funny.

Join the DYM Community Facebook Group

Download Youth Ministry really does have a fantastic Facebook community. You’ll see people asking questions and getting ideas in there all the time. If I was starting out, I would begin by asking a question and then messaging others for feedback later on. There’s a whole lot of wisdom there.

Plus, it’s nice to hear that you’re not the only one dealing with a specific cultural meme that you’re already tired of.

Join a Free Cohort?

If you’re looking for an excuse to get together with other youth pastors and learn more about what they are going through, or just grow together, there are tons of cohorts out there that are forming. Some cost money. Some are free. I would join a cohort and try to work with other youth pastors and learn together. There’s something great about figuring out problems with people you’ve never met before. Sometimes it can feel like a camp for the youth pastor!

If you don’t know of any cohorts, there’s one I’m a part of, and it’s free. We’d love to have you join. Click here.

Are there any other things you would do to connect with youth pastors? I’d love to hear it!