30 Ways to Kill Your Youth Ministry (for Senior Pastors)

1. Assume that the youth ministry is not your responsibility.
2. Assume you know all problems of your youth without taking the time of surveying them.
3. Never attempt to become a role model.
4. Preach messages irrelevant to youth.
5. Do not attend youth services and activities.
6. Give up on the youth in your congregation.
7. Never plan and work toward hiring a youth pastor.
8. Do not authorize your youth pastor with full responsibility for the youth ministry.
9. Appoint a person to communicate between you and your youth pastor.
10. Allow the influence of church members’ opinions and wishes over the vision for the youth ministry.
11. Allow people distanced from youth problems to take leading positions and/or decisions concerning the youth ministry.
12. Do not include the youth ministry in your annual church budget.
13. Deny the involvement of parents in youth work.
14. Do not allow youth representation in the decisions concerning the future of the youth ministry.
15. Blame or allow the youth to be blamed for problems beyond their control and comprehensions.
16. Never deal with change.
17. Use youth ministry techniques older then 2½ years.
18. Do not provide enough room for growth.
19. Underestimate the influence of drugs, alcohol, premarital sex and peer pressure.
20. Ignore the topic of sex.
21. Ignore technology as a ministry tool.
22. Restrict youth ministries to church activities alone ignoring fun and playing as a ministry tool.
23. Never allow youth to participate in spiritual and ministry activities like prayer, fasting and preaching.
24. Limit your youth ministry only to activities organized by your church/denomination.
25. Do not expect the youth ministry to grow beyond the limitations of your personal agenda or limitations.
26. Do not expect the youth ministry to grow beyond the limitations of your congregation.
27. Do not provide age transition mechanisms for youth to enter and exit the youth ministry.
28. Do not treat youth as if they were to remain in church for the rest of their earthly lives.
29. Do not treat youth ministry as the most important ministry of your church.
30. Refuse to be a pastor of youth.

20 Ways to Kill Your Church (for Senior Pastors)

1. Abstain from providing a clear vision and strategy fulfilling the mission of the church.
2. Stop encouraging, modeling and promoting prayer, fasting and giving among your congregation.
3. Do not allow different church ministries to participate in the budget formation and benefit from it.
4. Ignore or get rid of your problems and conflict situations instead of solving them by taking a conscious stand on the issue.
5. Keep communication and relationships to the minimum.
6. Provide minimum attention to your family.
7. Quench the Spirit.
8. Assume that people are not intelligent enough to mind manipulation.
9. Do not invest time, efforts and resources in the future growth of the church.
10. Get your church into the maximum possible debt.
11. Pay no attention to the cultural diversity and socio-economical developments in your community.
12. Do not designate any authority to others.
13. Use people without liberating them for spiritual growth.
14. Quit being yourself.
15. Take advice from no one.
16. Be political through manipulation and deceit.
17. Burn out people without any plans for restoration.
18. Never get personal or show your humanity with your people.
19. Allow no room for supernatural intervention.
20. Assume zero responsibility for your actions and decisions.