True...but hopefully we're not laughing AT the people themselves, but simply the idea and how the conspiracy is usually accepted without much investigation or thought.

Very true, Alan. I don't think that a youth pastor's circle trusted ministry friends and advisers should only be other youth workers. Other pastors or mature people in your church are great to lean on, too. While I'm a part of a youth ministry network and make a point to grab coffee with some YM friends in our area every now and again, I also am blessed to have a retired pastor as a mentor in addition to other good friends (not in ministry) to lean on.

One point I think you hinted at that is important to bring up is that being in an established YM network is not for everyone...I think it's a great thing to do, but for many bi-vocational youth pastors, it's just not a possibility. However, that doesn't give us the excuse to go at it alone.

Dave:

"Dear Youth Pastor" is satire. I'm glad you're advocate of networking...I am too! Check out the rest of the Dear Youth Pastor letters...they all try to use satire to make very important points.

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Thanks for the laugh this morning, Matt.

Beautiful commenter:

Great point on the conflict resolution. It's kind of sad that in the Church, it's such a needed skill.

Thanks for the prayers, Rachel! I think it will always be a battle for those in leadership to not base our worth on how well (or terribly) things are going at present.

Thanks, Susan. A little off topic, but in a book, pastor John Ortberg once wrote, "For some of you, the most spiritual thing you could do right now is to close this book and take a nap." :-)

Great point, Andy. That's been a hard lesson for me to learn personally as a leader. The book Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton has been a huge help to me in this area. I highly recommend it to other leaders who are struggling with their worth in God, or anything else in their relationship with God.

I'm glad you're much more patient than I ever was my first year in ministry. YOU might feel stuck, but from the point of view of the rest of us on our team, exciting things are happening down at Bountiful Heights. :-)

That's very true, Susan. Some of my favorite youth ministry times are those that occur during "downtime" or loosely structured events.