I'm sitting in the coffee shop at Willow Creek (which is surprisingly nice....) waiting for their conference to start. Thoughts going through my mind as I sit here:
- 'Wow, this coffee shop really is surpisingly nice.'
- 'I wonder if anybody has a realistic estimate of how many youthworkers there are in the country.'
- 'Is the average stay of a youth pastor at a church really only 18 months or is that just a stat that gets tossed around for dramatic effect?'
- It's not the cold climate that bothers me....it's the fact that I have to bundle up to walk from my car to the building but once inside it's warm and cozy and then I'm stuck lugging around a big jacket all day (check that...I don't have a big jacket, but I'm stuck lugging around my little, So. Cal, jacket all day). Speaking of Check That...maybe they have a place to check my coat.
- I'm listening to a GREAT new worship CD on my iPod. 'Scattered Around' is the new CD from Brandon Grissom who heads up the junior high worship here at Willow. He wrote every song except one (wich happens to be my least favorite song on the CD...). I'm pretty sure we're going to carry it at www.simplyjuniorhigh.com but if you can't get it there, I'm sure you can track it down by calling Willow Creek. Even if it sucked, I'd recommend it because it's the product of a junior high youth worker. But it doesn't...it's fantastic.
-My daughter, Kayla, called yesterday from Kenya for the first time. I missed her call but Rachel called me to give me the update. She is having an amazing time. Interestingly enough, the highlight of her trip so far has been visiting a woman's prison and leading worship. I really miss her...much more than I thought I would. She'll be home next Monday afternoon.
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7 comments:
"Is the average stay of a youth pastor at a church really only 18 months or is that just a stat that gets tossed around for dramatic effect?"
Now this is just my story, but in my case, I've been here 15 months and today is my last day. Now the circumstances behind me leaving are beyond my control $$$, but these kinds of stories still factor in.
~PKLN
I consider myself to be intelligent, friendly, responsible, spiritually reflective, and always striving to do better.
My anecdotal experience was 3 youth ministry jobs in 7 years moving me all over the country (Seattle, Kansas, Missouri). My first church split, my second church fired me because they found out I didn't believe the Church of Christ was the only group going to heaven, and the third church fired me (while I had a 3 month old baby and a 4 year old) the second day after coming back from the National Conference on Youth Ministries) because I was also interested in other ministries of the church and not just Youth Ministry. They wanted someone called "exclusively" to youth ministry.
I'll never put my livelyhood in the hands of a "church" again. It's too traumatic for my family.
FYI- you can order that CD on willow's website, the only rpoblem is that right at this moment if your try to buy it the website will automatically add the entire 2007 student leadership conference dvd set to your cart! They are working on fixing it at this very moment though.
I hope you enjoy Chitown...it is not as cold as Indy was!! I am glad your daughter is having a good time. I am praying for her! Thanks again for your help and resources in Indy. It has helped me a lot.
John,
I'm saddened by your story. It does seem that whenever the '18 months' statistic is tossed out there that it is in the context of assuming it's us as youth workers who are flakey, fickle, moving on too soon etc. and the churches seem to get a free pass.
Kurt,
Hey! I hope you are having a great time at the Willow Creek Conference. I am here loving every minute of it! If I run into ya I will introduce myself
Dave
Hey, Kurt, thanks for blogging about the conference. Hope you're enjoying it, despite the weather. We'd like to thank you by giving you a free book. Stop by the WCA Membership booth to pick it up. (Don't forget to pick it up before the conference ends tomorrow!)
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