“I ended up in youth ministry by accident really. I’d done the standard formal education and then went to university to study psychology. It was an intensive experience, but God wanted to tell me I wasn’t doing well. After four years I left, but without a degree. I honestly didn’t have a clue what to do. A friend of mine was a volunteer in a youth center and he invited me to join him. I loved it. After that I found out that my home church was looking for a youth worker and I did that as a gap year. That was in 2004 I think. I’ve been employed by that same church, my home church ever since.
I went back to University to study youth and community work, a three year degree. When I had finished that, my church felt it was time for me to move on. So in 2009 I really started looking for jobs. But I ended up applying for the position of youth worker in my own church again and I got the job. I felt I had come full circle.
The original intent was to offer youth work for 11-18 year olds. But in the last years we’ve seen the upper age limit move and older youth are coming as well. We’re trying to reach 22 and 23 year olds who come back after having gone to university. In short, I have an ever broadening job description.
The church I’m in is a Church of England in the town center of Keynsham. I joined this church when I was 12 or so, through the choir of all places. The membership of the choir hooked me. There was no structural youth work at that time. When I went to university, I commuted to Bristol and I lived at home. That makes this church very much my home church.”
Working in your home church
“Working in your home church has its distinct advantages, but also some disadvantages. I know the town very well for instance, people know who I am and I’m connected everywhere. I was at a supermarket recently and one half of an elderly couple said to the other ‘that’s Dan Crouch over there’. I’m high profile that way and that works well. When we got married a year and a half ago, many people from our church were present. I’m not a ‘professional’ youth worker in that sense, we’re really a church family.
On the other hand it’s very hard to break certain assumptions people have about you. Most people make mistakes when they’re young and growing up, but I’m working in the same place where I made this mistakes. Also, my wife grew up here, my father and her parents worship in the same church I work in. There are all kinds of very personal connections. That makes it hard when you face issues, like the decision to reduce my hours last September.”
An unexpected gift
“I worked 37 hours on paper, but in reality it was more like 50. It’s probably not healthy, but that’s the reality of being in youth ministry. A minister is never working 37 hours a week, it’s not a 9-5 job. The issues young people have don’t wait until a more convenient time. In September the church had to reduce my hours to 29, but I still work about 40. That decision was awful for me, I wrestled with the practical consequences for the youth ministry, but it also made me question my calling. I felt I was called to this place, but how was it possible they then had to reduce my hours? It was a real challenge.
I wanted to do something positive with these hours, so I decided to study for my Master’s degree in ‘leadership and mission in youth work’. My church is supporting me 100% and that’s really good. I’ve always wanted to do an MA, so this is an unexpected gift. Sometimes we have to journey through the dark times to get to the other side.”
Youth ministry as a calling
“My wife Sarah is also very involved in the youth work, especially as a teacher. One of her gifts is that she’s very logical in her approach to situations, she’s a good complement to me in that sense. You can’t do youth ministry without the support of your partner. But I realize we have to be careful here. There will be times and seasons in life, when we start a family for instance, when her involvement will change. Right now we can minister together, but it won’t stay that way. We want to be clear about that, it’s not two youth workers for the price of one.
A question that really frustrates me is ‘when are you going to be ordained, be a vicar’. It’s the expected ‘career’. People feel you can’t be called to youth ministry all your life. My answer is always the same: ‘when God calls me’. I’m doing everything people expect a minister to do, only I do it for young people. That is just as valid and just as important.”
Biggest challenge
“My biggest challenge for the future is to look outwards, to reach out beyond the internal structures. We are blessed with a significant youth group of 30-40 young people. But most of them are from within our church family. We want to engage with the young people in our community, it’s one of the reasons why we’re buying a building specifically for youth work.
It has made me wonder if we are ready, if I am ready, for the challenges this engagement is going to bring. Young people from church families are, generally speaking, reasonably well behaved. They know the church culture, they know what’s expected and they have a certain respect for our traditions. But young people from outside the church don’t have that. They’ll bring unrest and change. As we reach out, is the church ready for this?”
Want to get to know Dan better? You can find him on Twitter via @dancrouch where he’s part of the wonderful #ywchat community and he often tweets really thought provoking quotes. Would you like to share your story about life as a youth worker? Send me an email at rachel(at)youthleadersacademy(dot)com or contact me via Twitter (@youthleadersac)
