Dear youth ministry friends,

Here at the YMI, a part of my job is to discern the needs of youth ministry workers, and to attempt to offer programming to meet those needs. It can be a fun guessing game. Will folks be interested in innovation, or discussion topics? Spiritual practices, or missional endeavors? Progressive curricula, or learning how to write their own? (Or, all of the above? And how to address it all sufficiently?)

In my nearly five years in this role, I’ve been asked a number of questions, and I’ve been asked for resources on a myriad of topics. This feeds my spirit—I’m a learner, and I like to glean information wherever I can find it.

But invariably, when I find myself taking stock in what we offer, and in what people seem to need most frequently, I find myself returning to one glaring wash-rinse-repeat cycle:

The need to address mental health with young people.

Guessing game complete. And really, it’s game over… at least, for many of our youth. Our current mental health crisis—which predates the COVID-19 pandemic, but was made oh-so-much-worse by it—is like a bottomless pit. We at the YMI cannot hire enough speakers on this topic. We cannot generate enough clips, create enough curricula, share enough books. There will never be enough resources to meet the needs of the broken system of mental healthcare here in this country, particularly as it relates to our kids. And: it can be hard to maintain hope that things will change anytime soon.

It is for this reason that we were so blessed to welcome The Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund to campus last month. The Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice on the national staff of the United Church of Christ, the Rev. Dr. Lund shared with us about her book, Blessed Youth, and its accompanying survival guide, written with youth in mind.

In her time with us, the Rev. Dr. Lund shared something with us that has stayed with me. She said that we are the best resources for our young people. No matter how much we learn or glean or have in our back pockets to help youth in crisis… we are the ones who know our youth, and who will be seen as their lifeline.

I find hope in that. I know that this article will go out to a number of incredibly talented, incredibly loving youth ministry experts. You are equipped, beloved of God. That’s not to say that we can’t all learn more—and I’ll do my best to keep throwing resources your way! But that is to say, God has placed you into the lives of these young people. Better than any book or keynote speaker.

June is Mental Health Awareness Month, and I invite you to look to our “Tending to the Mental Health of Adolescents” training module on our website here.

I also invite you to check out the Rev. Dr. Lund’s Blessed Youth Survival Guide, an easy-to-carry pamphlet that can serve as a good conversation partner for a youth who might be struggling. You can find that here.

The above are good resources. But again, the best resource is you.

I hope for a day when the future looks a little brighter for this field, and for our young people. The stigma against mental health conversations is—thanks be to God—starting to die a long overdue death. While more children and youth are suffering under the strains of mental health, more are also seeking help. I find hope in that, too.

But I find the most hope in you. You are capable of showing your young people so much love and value, which research shows makes all the difference. You are already doing that, beloved of God. You.

Thank you for your work. And thank you for inspiring me.

With you on the journey,

Rev. Jill