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17 Jul 2023

Helping Your Seniors Move On After Youth Group

By Ronald|2023-07-13T13:10:58-07:00July 17th, 2023|Youth Ministry Ideas|0 Comments

We all know that senior year in a youth group is a milestone for our students. It’s a time filled with mixed emotions as they prepare to move on to the next chapter of their lives. As youth pastors, we have the opportunity to provide the guidance and support they need during this crucial transition. In this post, we’ll explore practical ways to help students move on after their senior year, fostering their growth and empowering them for the future.

So, let’s dive in!

Acknowledge the Transition: First things first, let’s acknowledge the significance of this transition for our seniors. Take the time to recognize their achievements, growth, and the memories they’ve made during their time in the youth group. Whether it’s through a special ceremony or a heartfelt message, let them know how much they have contributed and that their presence will be missed.
Provide Closure: Creating a sense of closure is essential for seniors as they leave the youth group. Plan a special event that allows them to reminisce, share stories, and express their feelings about their time with the group. This could be a graduation ceremony, a farewell party, or a reflective gathering. Offer them a safe space to say goodbye and encourage them to express their gratitude and hopes for the future. Consider a one night trip with just you and a few volunteers. Make it special!
Transition Resources: Navigating life after high school can be overwhelming for our seniors. As youth pastors, we can provide them with valuable transition resources. Offer workshops, seminars, or one-on-one sessions to address their specific needs. Provide guidance on college applications, career exploration, spiritual growth, and personal development. Equip them with the tools they need to confidently step into the next phase of their lives. Show them how to find a new church once they move on from this one. Provide questions they should ask themselves about their next church family.
Encourage Reflection and Goal-Setting: Reflection and goal-setting are powerful tools for personal growth. Encourage your seniors to reflect on their experiences in the youth group and set goals for the future. Help them identify their passions, strengths, and values. Guide them in setting realistic and attainable goals that align with their aspirations. By encouraging self-reflection and goal-setting, we empower our seniors to take ownership of their journey beyond the youth group. This reminds them that their journey with Jesus is just beginning!
Emphasize the Bigger Picture: While the youth group holds a special place in their hearts, it’s important to remind our seniors that their time with us was just one chapter in their lives. Encourage them to embrace new opportunities, explore different communities, and continue their personal and spiritual growth. Remind them that the skills, friendships, and lessons they gained in the youth group will continue to shape their lives as they move forward.

As youth pastors, we have the privilege of guiding our seniors through this significant transition. By acknowledging the transition, providing closure, offering transition resources, encouraging reflection and goal-setting, and emphasizing the bigger picture, we can help our students move on after their senior year in the youth group with confidence and excitement for what lies ahead. Let’s support them in embracing the next chapter of their lives and continue to be a source of guidance and encouragement.

Remember, we play a vital role in shaping the lives of these young individuals, so let’s continue to walk alongside them as they journey into the future. Together, we can make a lasting impact!

2 Mar 2017

Saying Good-Bye Well

By Jen Bradbury|2017-03-02T05:22:21-08:00March 2nd, 2017|Leadership, Youth Pastor Life|2 Comments

Three years ago, our associate pastor left to take another call. Our church immediately scheduled a farewell dinner. I assumed the students who she’d worked closely with during her tenure at our congregation would attend. While some did, most didn’t. But by then it was too late to help them say good-bye, something that was difficult for them.

As soon as our senior pastor announced he, too, had taken another call I flashed back to that experience. This time, I realized that part of my role as a staff member was to help our pastor and students say good-bye to one another.

Our senior pastor has served our congregation for 15 years. For all but our oldest high school students, he’s been their pastor their entire lives. He baptized most of them. He confirmed many of them. He’s walked with their families through difficult times. As a result, I knew teens needed to say good-bye to him, outside our congregation’s formal farewell, in a way that was developmentally appropriate.

So we scheduled a farewell party for our senior pastor, confirmands (our junior high youth ministry), and our high school ministry. Our student leaders planned it, ensuring it was age-appropriate – not too sad, but not too silly either.

We played games – a classic, semi-messy youth group game but also some games specific to our senior pastor. We blew up pictures of him wearing his clerical collar and played “Pin the clerical collar on the Pastor”. Both our junior high and high school students played a version of the Newlywed game designed to help them reflect on their time together, while staying light-hearted and fun. Indeed, throughout the first part of the night, there was much laughter.

Then our student leaders each spoke. They shared a memory of our pastor along with something they’d learned from him. Then they presented him with gifts they’d chosen based on things they knew about him: Custom guitar picks featuring a picture of him playing the guitar on one of our winter retreats; A wooden fountain pen (He’s a little nuts about them); and a handmade leather journal (He’s a writer).

One of the things our teens associate most with our senior pastor is his love of music. So our student leaders also requested our pastor lead us in song during our celebration. That is, after all, what we do in the Christian faith: We sing to worship God in times of celebration and in times of sorrow.

We finished the night by laying hands on our pastor and praying for him. Immediately, some of our junior high kids burst into laughter. Being in such close proximity to one another was just too much for them.

And yet, we prayed anyway – grateful for laughter in the midst of tears. We prayed prayers of thanksgiving for what our pastor has brought to our congregation and prayers of blessing for his ministry at his new church.

Then we hugged it out.

The night was simple, fun, and meaningful for our pastor and teens. It gave everyone the chance to actually say good-bye.

A few weeks ago, our senior pastor remarked at a staff meeting that the best gift a departing pastor can give his congregation is to say good-bye well.

I couldn’t agree more.

Saying good-bye well gives people the space to grieve and lament. It gives them finality and allows them to have closure, which, in turn, makes it possible for them to embrace whoever comes next without feeling like they’re betraying the person who’s left.

That’s what we did at our party.

We celebrated, yes. We laughed. We played. We remembered.

And in the process, we said good-bye well.