Leadership 2: MINISTRY SUPPORT

INTRODUCTION

We have the honor of getting to work for Young Life and with young people. It is a great job! It is important to remember that it is a job. We want to step into this role with professionalism and respect for the call God has given us. How we present ourselves is a living testimony to those around us about how seriously we take this responsibility. Yes, we want to have fun with young people and give them a big hug even after they throw a shaving-cream-pie in our face during camp. We also want to show parents, church leaders, school directors and our fellow Young Life staff that we recognize the honor and seriousness of our call. Paul has some words of wisdom that apply to us as well as we think about our work in this ministry.

“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” ​ ​ -Philippians 2:3-4

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.” -Colossians 3:23-24

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life…” - Philippians 2:14-16

Core Competency: All staff are expected to demonstrate strong and professional communication skills in various forms and settings (verbal, written, social media, schools etc).

Evidence of staff demonstrating this objective looks like:
  • Communication in all forms (written, verbal, social media) is professional and appropriate.
  • Can give a 1-minute and 3-minute “elevator speech” to describe Young Life.
  • Professional and appropriate dress and behavior when interacting with adults, donors, church leaders and school leadership.
  • Professionally behavior on zoom calls and in staff meetings through staying engaged, showing up on time and interacting with others.
  • Respecting leadership through responding promptly to calls and messages and requesting time off through the appropriate country-system in advance.

LIFESTYLE AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION

A lot of how we communicate is non-verbal. We communicate by how we dress, when we show up to meetings, how engaged we appear to be on Zoom, how many times we pick up our phones during meetings, and the list goes on. The question we need to ask ourselves is, “What is my non-verbal communication actually communicating to others?” Is the message I’m sending what I really want to say?

We also communicate a lot over email, text and group chats. When we write our tone of voice, humor or intent is also hard to understand. It doesn’t matter how many emojis we throw in there – tone is difficult to catch when we’re reading! How are we presenting representing our mission and ministry in how we communicate with people in our communities and those who may support us?

What follows is a long list of situations, advice and cautions to help you guard your professional reputation and represent the mission and your ministry well. It is not an exhaustive list – though you may be exhausted after reading it! As you read through these – challenge yourself to be honest and write down one or two points from each category that you could work on in this next season.

MAINTAINING INTEGRITY

  • Do what you say you will do, when you say you will do it.
  • Never embellish ministry success or numbers.
  • Respect boundaries with the opposite sex.
  • Walk your talk in your own relationship with Christ.
  • Let your “yes” be “yes” and your “no” be “no”.
  • Speak the truth in love.
  • Respect biblical guidelines of communication in conflict
  • Don’t exaggerate, or claim as your own, a story for an illustration.
  • Claim only expenses for reimbursement that are truly Young Life related.

 

ATTITUDE

  • Cultivate a heart of gratitude.
  • Aim to serve others, not to have them serve you.
  • Work cheerfully, even in the mundane areas of your job.
  • Don’t complain or blame others.

WITHIN YOUNG LIFE

  • Submit to the authority structure.
  • Learn and comply with Young Life policies and procedures.
  • Be a team player.
  • Ask for constructive feedback from experienced staff.
  • Always seek to learn and sharpen your skills.
  • Be on time- with reports, with deadlines, with people.

MOBLE PHONE ETIQUETtE

  • Turn off your phone during meetings; even a vibrating phone can be a rude distraction.
  • In meetings put your phone in your bag or pocket; do not have it visible when you are meeting with someone.
  • Make sure your ring tone is appropriate for all audiences.
  • Return phone calls within 24 hours if possible; if you will be unable to call them back at least send a text message to let them know when you will call.
  • Do not text during meetings; be discerning about whom you text.

EMAIL ETIQUETtE

  • Check your email account at least once each day.
  • Return messages within 24 hours if possible; if you will be unable to return messages promptly, leave an away message on your email.
  • Use proper spelling and grammar in writing emails. Always proof read your own work, and maybe invite a coworker to proof your writing as well.
  • Do not use office time to write personal emails.
  • Email is not the best medium for discussing difficult issues; too much can be misconstrued. Do not use email to discuss or solve conflicts – those conversations need to happen face to face.
  • If you are writing an email that might in any way contain sensitive information or information that might be misunderstood, copy (or blind copy) your area director or another person in authority for purposes of both accountability and protection.
  • When forwarding an email chain to another person, consider deleting anything from the chain that is not necessary for the immediate communication. You might not have permission from the previous writers to forward the information they wrote to you.
  • Be sure your email signature has the Young Life GDPR information for your country.

ZOOM ETIQUETTE

  • Sign on to Zoom for a meeting a couple of minutes ahead of your scheduled call, or right at the time of the call. If you are going to be even a minute or two late, be sure to text or email the other person (or call organizer) at least 5-10 minutes before the call.
  • Be sure your name on Zoom is your name – if you use someone else’s account, be sure to change the name as soon as you login for the meeting.
  • Always turn on your camera for zoom calls. If there is some reason you cannot use the camera be sure to let the other person (or call organizer) know why you can’t.
  • Present yourself in a Zoom call just as you would in a face-to-face meeting. Sit at a desk or table, have your camera focused on your head and shoulders and be attentive on the call just as you would any other meeting. Your body language is communicating a lot, even if your sound is on mute. Be sure you show you are engaged and professional – not laying on the couch or just getting out of bed.
  • Do not text, chat, or email with others during the zoom call. If you were asked to be on a call, someone feels this conversation is important. Honor them and stay focused for this business meeting.

Honoring others with time

  • Five minutes early is on time. ​ On time is late.
  • If you are going to be late, call ahead. ​ If you can’t reach the person, send a text or email.
  • Keep regular office hours and communicate those with others.
  • If you are leading a meeting, respect the time of others involved. ​ Start on time; end on time; keep the meeting moving forward according to plan while maintaining an awareness that God’s agenda might differ from your own.
  • Prepare in advance for meetings, estimating the time involved for each aspect of the meeting. ​ Keep whatever discussions or decisions can be achieved between individuals outside of the meeting, outside of the meeting. ​ Reserve group time for issues that concern every member of the group.
  • Turn in reports on time to supervisors.
  • Be sure to request the dates you’d like to take off for holiday with your supervisor before you schedule anything. Make sure your team and other staff know when you have time off so they know not to contact you unless necessary.

sOCIAL MEDIA ETIQUETTE

Do:

  • Identify your goals and purpose of your social media account, whether personal or ministry. Even on your personal account, remember that you are a face and representative of the ministry.
  • Keep your audience in mind when you are crafting your post.
  • When posting content that you know will drive engagement, make sure to monitor your direct messages, comments and mentions. Reply to comments or messages when necessary.
  • Use language appropriate for all audiences.
  • Be natural and authentic.
  • Make sure your page looks great; it directly affects how people view your ministry. Text is best reserved for captions, rather than text-heavy photos.
  • Be sure to tag #younglifeeurope in your ministry Instagram posts.

Don’t:

  • Post confidential or personal information about kids.
  • Post personal opinions on a Young Life area or club account, especially political opinions, and be smart about what you share on your personal accounts as well.

 

As stated earlier, this is not an exhaustive list. It is not about having a list of rules and laws to obey. It is to remind us that the spirit of the law is simple: treat others as you would like to be treated.

ELEVATOR SPEECH

Picture getting onto an elevator and as the door closes, another person gets on and recognizes the Young Life logo on your jacket. They say, “I’ve seen that around but don’t know what it is. What’s Young Life?” You have 60 seconds until the elevator stops to answer the question. How do you reply?

Everyone should have an “elevator speech” to describe Young Life. You will often find yourself needing to describe the ministry in different environments and to different people. Some understand Young Life as a Christian youth ministry while others understand it as a program for kids. Both are true. Sometimes you are trying to explain Young Life to a fellow believer, sometimes you are trying to explain Young Life to the atheist school official where you’d like to start doing Contact Work. Understanding another person’s paradigm will help you communicate clearly. You might need to start with one language and then shift to another.

For this post, please put together two elevator speeches. One for someone who is familiar with Young Life, and a second for someone who is not. Think through what language you would use in each situation.

Potential words and phrases to consider using...

  • A ministry to kids…
  • A program for kids…
  • A Christian non-profit that works with young people
  • Developing mentoring relationships...
  • Earn the right to be heard...
  • Enter the world of kids...
  • A message of hope…
  • Building community...
  • Developing leadership skills...
  • Creating safe places…
  • Building faith communities...
  • Discipling kids...
  • Mentoring kids...
  • Inviting kids...
  • Reaching kids with the Gospel…
  • Reaching lost kids…
  • Reaching disinterested kids...
  • Working with kids…
  • Working with disadvantaged kids…
  • Working with marginalized kids...
  • Building self-esteem…
  • Communicating the Christian faith in terms kids can understand
  • A youth group for kids who won’t come near a youth group
  • Sharing Christ...
  • Leading kids to Christ...
  • The transforming power of Christ
  • Having conversations with kids about faith…
  • Lead Bible studies...
  • Lead discussions about faith and life…
  • The 4 Cs of YL: contact work, club, campaigners, Camp

All of the above are true. Prepare two elevator speeches to deliver to your trainer. One for someone that is warm to the Gospel and one for someone that may be disinterested in the faith. Paul’s words from Colossians 4:5-6 are helpful, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” We don’t want to shy away from our mission but knowing how to explain Young Life concisely and appropriately will be important in many different scenarios. You will give both of your “Elevator Speeches” to your trainer at your next meeting. They will give you feedback and help you improve your speech. Then be sure to practice them both since they will definitely be helpful for you in the future!

ACCOUNTABILITY
  • Am I aware of how I represent Young Life and myself as a professional in how I behave and communicate? (HAVE)
  • Am I actively working on my communication skills with my team, community, donors or coworkers? (Active)
  • Have I shared with a mentor or trainer specific areas I need to be held accountable for in my communication? (Shared)
  • Do I, and others, see improvement and growth in my communication skills and professionalism? (Growing)
ACTION STEPS
  • Prepare two 60-90 second Elevator Speeches. One you would say to someone you know is a believer, one for someone who is not interested in faith. Be sure you’ve practiced and timed your speeches and be ready to share them at your upcoming training meeting.
  • Based on the lists above, what do you see as your communication strengths? What are your weaknesses? What audiences do you more naturally communicate well with? Which one might you need a little more preparation or training on? What specific points above do you need to work on in this next month or two?
  • Think about the ministry team that you lead – how do you communicate information with your team? How often do you meet? How do you follow up with details or decisions that were made? How does your communication help them stay connected to the mission and to each other in community?
Return to Leadership 2 Menu