I probably talked with over 400 youth workers about We Love Our Youth Worker. I would say something like this:

We Love Our Youth Worker began in the UK about three years ago as a way of creating a healthier working environment for youth workers.  It’s been a great success as you have the Anglicans, Catholics, Baptist, Presbyterians and more agreeing on something because it has nothing to do with theology or giving your youth worker a twenty percent pay raise.

It’s seven simple promises that churches agree to:

We will pray and spiritually support

We will give space for retreat and reflection

We will provide ongoing training and development

We will give at least one full day of rest per week

We will share responsibility

We will strive to be an excellent employer

We will celebrate and appreciate

We’ve now brought it over to the United States to help youth workers and their churches to be stronger and have a healthier approach to ministry.  As a covenant, we ask the youth worker to agree to the same principles as a supportive act towards their churches.  I happen to also work, very part time, for Simply Youth Ministry serving as a pastor with Simply Soul Care.  I know if more churches were doing these seven simple things for their youth worker, we’d be helping fewer youth workers with Simply Soul Care.

One of the highlights this year was meeting one of the first youth workers that we helped with Simply Soul Care while I was in San Diego. He found me and thanked me for what we were offering and for the person on our team.

That is why I do this and why I’m so thrilled to be a part of Simply Soul Care, we’re helping youth workers stay in ministry longer and to keep working in the fields for the harvest. Thank you for your support and encouragement as I keep wearing my three hats so I can help youth workers be stronger and healthier and have a longer and deeper ministry of reaching students with the Gospel.

Serving as a pastor for the National Youth Workers Convention in San Diego and Nashville was an honor and the experience affirmed I’m serving where I need to be.

My car died and I shared it about it twice on twitter and facebook. Twenty minutes after sharing it the second time, a friend let me know they had planned on donating their car anyways and if I wanted it, it was available.  I picked it up a little more than a week after it had broken down.  I’m working at Sears, part-time, as we continue to raise support.

Here is an immediate need: I have a trip January 4-9 to San Diego that serves three purposes for the National Network of Youth Ministries.

1. Meeting with local leaders from around the country who will be point people for our national initiative to better network believers in communities to reach more students with the Gospel.

2. Meeting with the Ministry Council. This group of 15-20 people is group of leaders from around the country who believe in our mission and help make us better with their contribution of time and strategy.

3. Meeting with the Field Team. The Field Team is comprised of individuals with my same role for the National Network.
This is the most important trip of the year because it sets the tone corporately and personally for the next year.
In order to attend, I need someone to donate airline miles for a ticket from Lubbock to San Diego or for people to donate around $400-$450 to cover the cost of the ticket. Oh and I have to have it by Thursday afternoon.

So, please pray for this need to be met.

Keep Lovin’ Jesus,

Len

PS.  I thought this might encourage you to hear from a different voice about the importance of this ministry:

On November 30, Daryl Nuss, NNYM’s chief ministries officer, met with Josh McDowell near his home in southern California. Josh is a well-known author, speaker and global church leader who has addressed more than 10 million young people in 118 countries and authored or co-authored 120 books. We were humbled when he made this affirmation about the role of the Network in youth ministry:

“There has never been a time when the Network is more greatly needed. After 50 years of ministering to young people, I’m deeply concerned that their post-modern thinking and lack of biblical knowledge are adversely influencing the church in America.

We need the Network to help strengthen youth ministry and to help us work together. Because of this, I believe that the National Network of Youth Ministries is the most critical youth ministry in America. I shudder to think where the body of Christ would be without the influence of NNYM.”

Here are a few initial thoughts from the interactions I have had with each of you,  just so we are on the same page as we go forward.

1. We all want unity in your city and beyond.
2. We are all broken people and have our own share of issues and baggage regardless of how well we hide it.
3. We want God to be glorified in our lives, our ministries and in our relationships to each other and by resolving this situation.
4. We tend to hear what we want to hear and have our own true and false perceptions of reality.
5. We believe we are called to where God has us.
6. We know we can be wrong but odds are we are right. (Thank you pride for being the root of all sin)
7. We need to grow in our humility. If you just thought you didn’t, you definitely do!

These are a few of the foundational thoughts I have as we begin the process of reconciliation.

Here are the things I need agreement on before we go forward.

1. I will serve as the mediator in this process.
2. We will each pray through this process and praying, *Jesus, show them how they are wrong*, does not count.
3. If you disagree with any of the 7 previous things listed you will disclose that.
4. We will use Matthew 18:15-17 as our guide though this process.

“If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. ‘If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

I am honored to serve you in this way and look forward to what God will do with you in your city and beyond.

Keep Lovin’ Jesus,

Len

~~~~~~

Reconciliation is a beautiful process but it can be painful.  The reward is worth the risk.  If you would, pray for us through this process as we seek to glorify God and bring greater unity in reaching students for Jesus.

In case you do know this, Peacemaker Ministries is a wonderful group that has great and needed resources to help believers and churches have a biblical approach to conflict.

Thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement over this last year.  It has been just like starting a business with all the joys and stresses but we are pressing on believing that God is with us and for as  we help youth workers and churches reach more students.

2. I will be a pastor at the National Youth Worker Conventions. Oct. 1-4 & Nov. 19-22.

I have eleven appointment times available to meet with youth workers, per day for three days. Since there will be around 2,000 youth workers there, it is likely that each day will be full. Pray for these appointments and youth workers.

I share that attending these conventions is like playing hide and seek with Jesus because I never know how God will use a connection to advance his work. Pray for renewed friendships and new friendships that will serve his purposes.

3. This week a supporter informed me that they wanted to double their monthly support, which was already sizeable. Everyone can’t double their support but perhaps it can be increased by $5, $10 or $20 a month.

This is a another example of God surprising us, as we continue to establish the stable support needed. Pray for other surprises to happen by the end of the year.

4. Please begin praying about potential support.

If everyone who cared about this ministry gave a little (even $20 a month) we would be fully funded and greater things could happen. I know everyone can not give financially at this time but I also know that more people can and want to. Perhaps, you are one of those people.

5. The big goal for 2010 is to find 9 area champions for the sectons of the 2 states.

I am happy to share that, as of now, I have found 7 area champions, Metro champions for Dallas. San Antonio, and Albuquerque in addition to 3 people who are willing to be area champions in CO, AR and LA when my responsibility expands. These people are the strategic and relational foundation that will enable us to help churches and youth workers across TX & NM.

I flew to San Diego for the interview with the Big Dogs and the official starting day was Sept. 1, 2009.

I was told it was going to be hard and I believed everyone but I did not know it would be this hard to raise the support as we pursue where God has brought us.

I have used the word partners before to describe our prayer and financial supporters and even those who affirm the vision and mission.   I firmly believe this is our ministry, and not my ministry. However, I am being convicted that there is a deeper connection in the partnership, particularly for the financial supporters, than I had seen before.

We both are living by faith to see this ministry mature and become what it needs to be. The Evans family  is dependent upon our financial supporters to pay the bills and live. We sacrifice to equip and encourage youth workers, help churches, build healthy networks so more students can be reached for Jesus.

Our supporters are eqully living by faith in their giving.  Whether it is $10 a month, a $100 a month or more, each is trusting that God will continue in His faithfulness so that support can be sent.  The economy has been hard on most of us and that $10, $25, $70,  $200 or $500 (not yet, but believing it can happen) per month could go towards other things.  But you sacrifice so we can serve where God had brought us and it is greatly appreciated and YOUR faith amazes me and I can not thank you enough.

We both are trusting God to do great things to advance the Kingdom through our partnership.  You have faith in me to continue being faithful in my character, in my passion, to my family and to where God has called us. I will not betray that trust.

Thanks for being a partner in faith with us!

1. I am flying to CO in a few hours to be with a pack of wild youth workers for two days to chat and dream about the 2011 Simply Youth Ministry Conference. It is an honor to be invited to contribute to this discussion. Pray for wisdom as we cover the agenda but also pray for connections with friends and not yet friends to be formed during this 2 day dash.

2. Tonja is a Texas Tech Graduate and looking for a job. Pray for discernment and speed as she begins the job search. On a bright note, Lubbock has around a 4.3% unemployment rate, which was the lowest in Texas, last I heard. If you know of anything, let us know.

3. Around 30 people or churches currently support us and we are around 40% of our needs. The good news is there are at least 20 others who have said they want to support us regularly. There are others who are considering supporting us but 20 have said yes to regular support but have not been able to start, yet. Pray that those people would know what the right amount is and start giving to support this ministry.

4. Watch this video on Youth Ministry Awesomeness and you can begin praying for me as I prepare to serve as a convention pastor for both of the National Youth Workers Conventions.

Keep Lovin’ Jesus,

Len

Check out SouthCentralYouth.org for the new website about what you are praying for.

I hope the second job is a season rather than a lifestyle, but if it is a lifestyle, so be it. I am committed to this ministry because the needs are so huge in every aspect of my job

Here are some encouraging things that have happened this past month..

• I consoled a youth worker who was fired and helped him form a game plan for his next steps.
• I co-led three seminars at the Simply Youth Ministry Conference and served on their Ministry in the Valley care team.
• I am going to be a regular contributor to Group Magazine. I will write about networking, being better together, in their Tools section.
• I was also asked to be a convention pastor at both of the 2010 National Youth Worker Conventions by Youth Specialties.

Pray for:

1.???????? $1,500 more per monthly supporters.

2.???????? A second job that will allow me to provide for my family.

3.???????? A job for Tonja after graduation.

Therefore we do not lose heart.. . So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Len oversees Texas and New Mexico for the National Network of Youth Ministries. He’s a youth ministry activist and relational broker who connects churches, ministries and people with each other to reach more students for Jesus. One of his greatest joys is offering hope and help to hurting youth workers out of the comfort God has given him. Feel free to contact him through?http://lenevans.net before or after the convention.

One thing was definitely confirmed while I was part of the Ministry in the Valley care team at the Simply Youth Ministry Conference I was prepared for this sort of ministry.