Reflections from a Youth Leaders Lunch

At this year’s MCEC Annual Church Gathering, a lunch meetup for youth leaders took place alongside the larger event.  Hosted by Carrie Lehn (Ottawa Mennonite Church) and Stephen Kennedy (Avon Church), the gathering grew out of a desire to connect in person.  The Youth Ministry Collective, which began as an MCEC Pastors Learning Circle, had been meeting online, but there was a shared sense that face-to-face interaction would offer something different, something needed.  With many leaders already traveling for the Gathering, it was a natural moment to create space for connection.  Notably, some even came just for the lunch meetup, a sign of how strong that need was.

Even within a church staff team, the realities of leading youth often feel distinct.

Youth ministry can be isolating work.  Even within a church staff team, the realities of leading youth often feel distinct.  Having space to talk openly with others who understand and share challenges, ideas and possibilities is both beneficial and encouraging.  As Carrie and Stephen reflected, these connections help remind leaders that they are not alone.

Many leaders today are serving long-term, rather than seeing youth ministry as a steppingstone to other roles.

The monthly online youth leaders group continues to be an important part of this connection, offering accessibility and consistency.  Still, the in-person lunch highlighted how valuable embodied gatherings can be.  There is energy in being together, in hearing stories around a table and in building relationships that carry on beyond a single meeting.

...the realities of being a teenager today are markedly different than in previous generations.

The conversation also surfaced broader shifts in youth ministry.  Many leaders today are serving long-term, rather than seeing youth ministry as a steppingstone to other roles.  At the same time, the work itself is becoming increasingly complex.  Youth come with a wide range of experiences - some deeply familiar with Bible stories, others encountering them for the first time.  And the realities of being a teenager today are markedly different than in previous generations.

In this changing landscape, there is a growing need for support and resourcing, especially from an Anabaptist perspective.  Ideas like youth leaders’ retreats, offering spaces for rest, renewal and shared learning, were named as particularly valuable.  Carrie reflected on a retreat she attended through Mennonite Church USA as deeply energizing for her ministry.

In this changing landscape, there is a growing need for support and resourcing, especially from an Anabaptist perspective.

At the heart of it all is a simple hope:  that youth leaders would know they are not alone. That they would have spaces where they can bring their questions, share their struggles and be encouraged in the work they are called to.

Because in the end, when we’re no longer strangers and sojourners, the connections we’ve built don’t just bring us together, they sustain us as a living dwelling place for God.  Ephesians 2:19-22