While the summer was one of the smoothest we have had in years, it does not mean it was without its frustrations.  Most of the angst was not directed at a singular issue, but at a cumulative burden that has been brewing for several years.  Since 2005, Tim Tutton (our Director of Evangelistic Ministries) and I have been having lengthy discussions about the effectiveness of our ministry.  We have sat down and discussed problems, evaluated programs and bounced new ideas around.  It seems that each year they have become more and more focused on the issue of effectiveness.  What is it that we can do that has the most “bang for the buck”, as they say?  Are there things we do really well? Are there things we don’t do so well?  Should we cut this or that? Should we refocus? Should we continue with the same old, same old?  Well, we have concluded that there are some things we need to change.  We have run them through the filters of prayer and counsel, and now we are ready to make a few announcements.  Some are exciting and some are painful, but all, we believe, are for the good of the ministry as a whole. First a little background...

We have been doing this stuff for a long time.  While we run youth programs and children’s ministries, what we really do is help churches run and improve their programs.  The great blessing is we have seen countless kids and teens make fantastic decisions for the Lord. We now have kids and teens serving the Lord all over the country. There are many in full-time ministry and missions positions.  That is the great blessing.

What is frustrating is the programs we have run where there is wasted time, efforts, money and other resources.  While we have seen great things, we have also seen much waste.

We believe it is our obligation to do our very best. We believe our supporting churches want this, our private donors want this, and of course the Lord wants this.   The Baptist Youth Mission has spent the last twenty some years working hard, being creative, raising funds, hiring workers and training, training, training!  We love what we do and we want to see fruit; however, there are some areas of the ministry that we are constantly wrestling with and evaluating. Some of these difficult areas are easy to recognize such as extensive travel, last minute schedule changes, and cancellations.  The more difficult issues deal with items such as apathy, lack of preparation, preventable distractions, etc...

In addition to identifying problem areas, we have also taken time to evaluate strengths.  There are two main areas in our findings: BYM’s strengths and the local church’s strengths.  When these two mesh together, we have experienced tremendous programs with much positive fruit.  Everything else being equal, the churches with the greatest impact have a singular focus, a zeal for improvement, a well-trained volunteer base and a well established community rapport.  BYM’s strengths lie in harnessing manpower, effective training and creative programming.

Reaching the next generation requires that we must be more committed to our mission than our methods.

When these elements are present, or at least being seriously addressed, we have seen greater results that are longer lasting and have more impact.  Our goal is to be the most fruitful church helping organization we can be.  But in order to bear more fruit there must be some pruning of good branches in order for the tree to do better as a whole.  Here are a few of our changes:

Program Regionalization — Choosing our Turf -Just as a pastor cannot effectively minister to a member who lives a thousand miles away, we cannot effectively train and help churches the way we need to if they are at the other end of the country.  Our evangelists cannot continue to drive 700-800 miles between churches on a weekend and then start another program. Not only are they exhausted, but their entire love offering (which is how they live) goes into the gas tank.  It is not that we are not willing, it is that we are not able.  The ministry borders for BYM summer programs need to be drawn in closer. We now are limiting our summer ministry to the region we know the best—the rural west. The region is best defined by: Western Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.  A more detailed map is on the website.

Application Process —  Choosing Our Clients -The application process seems to fly in the face of the “go anywhere, reach anyone” philosophy that is deeply rooted in our Gospel-spreading heritage. Yet, we all draw lines somewhere. Just as a pastor has a priority of being in his pulpit on Sunday morning, rather than out knocking on doors or visiting his members, we also have to set priorities using a method that is better and more thought out than “first come, first serve”.  As mentioned, if our goal is to be the best we can be for the Lord, then we are going to be looking for the best conditions, attitude, and potential that we can.  This is not to say we only go to big and organized churches. Actually the opposite is usually the case. We love the small, rural, church planter types.  If you are hungry for results, have a zeal for improvement, and are looking for a way to truly impact your community, you’ll be near the top of the list. The website deals with the ideal candidate.

Church Preparation — Choosing to Train -Nothing characterizes BYM more than its training. For over 20 years our programs have been started with orientation and training meetings. We have been doing teacher training seminars and providing churches and pastors with materials and programs to reach their communities.  However,  due to distance issues, (which usually translate to scheduling issues) training often takes a backseat, if included at all.  The results? You guessed it. Not good. BYM’s programs work best with churches that are trainable and leadership that is coachable.

The Bible is filled with lessons about being prepared and our personal experience of working with prepared and unprepared churches has validated that. Everything else being equal, a well trained and coachable team will out perform an unprepared team. If businesses, actors and professional sports teams plan and practice ahead of time, I think our children and teens deserve some of the same effort. Successful candidates for our new Vacation Bible School model will be required to have in-church training sessions and attend a 48 hour planning and strategy retreat at our National Training Center in Sinclair,  Wyoming.

Not only must we keep using the axe, but we must take heed to sharpen it well.

The new plans are not a diversion from BYM’s stated mission, but a refinement of it.  Please pray for us as we continue to labor.  The task before us is clear.  The efforts must be concise and effective. Not only must we keep using the axe but we must take heed to sharpen it and sharpen it well.