The ministry to and with young people – those in the middle school, high school, and young adult years – is vital. Young people today face many challenges, and they are living life with friends and acquaintances who are facing the same challenges. They are being confronted with the question of who God is and who God has made them to be. They are also wondering about the impact this has on how they live in this world and relate to others.
Youth pastors, youth directors, and youth leaders engage with these questions and seek to be used by God to bring God’s truth to those to whom God has brought them near. In the midst of this good work, there is a tremendous need for connection and for support. There is a need for resources. There is a need to know they are not alone as youth workers.
The Landing wants to walk with you. The Landing wants to provide resources and input. As the NAB, we value how God is working in and through each one of our youth workers as servants called by God. We are so thankful for all you are doing. I am so thankful for all you are doing.
Galatians 6:9 tells us, “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up” (NLT).
Harry Kelm
NAB Executive Director
The Landing is a space for youth workers to receive resources for ministering to the teenagers in their culture and context. The NAB covers a large demographic, and The Landing will seek to have representation of each culture and context, welcoming all voices to the table. These resources will include current cultural trends, latest research from Barna and other organizations, opportunities to learn from each other and outside sources, and insight to help youth workers partner with parents and families, along with other resources that will engage, empower, and equip youth workers to disciple this generation of teenagers.
Sign Up for The Landing Newsletter
People who minister to teenagers know they need a soft spot to land, a place to go when the rollercoaster of adolescence is taking them on loops, spins, twists, and turns. Over the last two and a half years, while youth workers have been providing that soft spot to land for teenagers, youth workers are also looking for a place to land.
The 2022 Youth Worker Well-Being Report states, “Recent data collected by The Youth Cartel and Jeremiah Project suggests more than four out of ten youth workers are considering moving on or have moved on in the past two years. This suggests that what Barna’s recent pastor poll showed is likely also true of youth workers: youth workers are currently in crisis and at risk of burnout.”
EYELET’s purpose is to engage, equip, and elevate young leaders to lead the NAB into the future, but what if there aren’t any young leaders left to engage, equip, and elevate because they’re currently in crisis or at the risk of burnout?
This is the role of The Landing, the soft space where youth workers can land after years of fatigue and constant decision-making.
The Landing is a space where youth workers can be encouraged through stories of God at work in the lives of teenagers.
The Landing is a space where youth workers can find refuge from the storms of ministry life, finding community amongst other youth workers and having a connection to at least two to three other youth workers in the NAB.
The Landing is a space where youth workers will be able to engage with the greater vision of the NAB, learning about missional partnerships their youth ministries can join with to further the Kingdom.
The Landing is a space where youth workers will be able to ask questions freely and openly, similar to how youth workers do the same for the teenagers in their midst. Questions and authenticity are welcome; perfection is not required.
One of the goals of EYELET is to connect youth workers from across the NAB. As part of this, we occasionally get together for a kind of digital open house to connect, talk about our commonalities in ministry, and discover some new resources that will hopefully serve us all well. The following Landing Open House is from the spring of 2023.