Minister Like a Hobbit

I'm always searching for new ways to motivate myself. Not because I'm particularly lazy, mind you, but I have a little bit of Bilbo Baggins in me. That is to say, I get comfortable too easily. I like my routines and my regular retreat activities, games that we've played 1,000 times and all the tried-and-true topics teens need to here yearly or more. It's an easy trap to fall into. Every four years, you have an entirely new group, and that retreat from 5 years ago is brand new as far as this class is concerned. So we dust off "Walk on Water" for the third time and spend the rest of the day searching Amazon for great Prime deals.

In order to combat the spiritual flabbiness, the ministerial love for doilies, and the comfort of a morning pipe and the daily letters, I've taken my love for hobbits and come up with a few actionable ideas to get the blood flowing again.

1. Beat the Bounds

In Hobbit-speak, that is the term for going on a walking holiday and covering the edges of the Shire. I believe it comes from a Scottish concept of the same, walking the edges of ones territory regularly to know it, keep it in check, and enjoy the surroundings (don't fully quote me on the origin). It is a great way to both vacation in one's own place, but also to grow more familiar with it and discover any areas for celebration or for renovation

As applied to ministry, beating the bounds could mean physically walking around the parish - too often we become chained to our desks and want to appear busy while scrolling Facebook for the third time in a day. It may mean checking in with yourself and the people involved in your ministry. Who has and hasn't been coming to Insight Nights? Who has been coming up in prayer intentions? What birthdays are on the horizon? What adults seem tired or burnt out? Who could benefit from a text or a phone call right now? Reflecting honestly on who you've been ignoring or who needs some love can lead to some great ministry.

Beating the bounds might also mean measuring the height, width, and breadth of your programs. Is there something we've been trying for a while that just isn't catching on? Do we need to change it or drop it? Is there an event that "everyone looks forward to" that is actually a nightmare with no return on investment? Do you have things on the calendar which only serve to make you busy but not advance the mission of your ministry? Take the time to evaluate and make the necessary changes. I engage my adult team - and to a lesser extent my teen leaders - in an After Action Review (AAR) for every major event and evaluate the whole program every year. You can't get where you're headed if you never evaluate the course you're on.

2. Care for Your Genealogy

Hobbits love sitting around telling stories about their second-cousin once removed and their first-cousin twice removed, plus their great lineage all the way back to the 6th Generation. It's a way to stay rooted in the past and feel a sense of pride at one's own place in the world.

I'm not suggesting creating a youth group family tree, although the group I grew up in did have an unofficial understanding of who brought who spanning about five years, which was amazing. I am suggesting that you know a bit of history. What is important to the culture of your parish and the town you're in? What glory stories exist in the history of your group? Who did bring whom, and who has been a great example of evangelization that you can lift up?

I find, at least for me, that it is too easy to be a prisoner of the moment - caring too much about who is or isn't here right now, or being embroiled in parish politics that will probably blow over in a week and which have nothing really to do with caring for the people of God. Knowing the bigger picture helps keep many of those little problems in check.

3. Telling Great Stories

Along the lines of the previous point, hobbits love telling stories of great adventure and skillful thrift. Who wouldn't be enamored by dragons and buried gold, of trolls and elf-maidens, of love, valor, glory, and sacrifice.

Perfect your story-telling abilities. It is one of the many hats we wear to speak the future into being and weave the creative narrative that those we minister to can follow. It is our duty to show them a future with God and the Church which makes them want to take part on that great adventure with us. Like Gandalf introducing Bilbo to the dwarves, we must be able to compellingly share the vision that Jesus has for all of us, as well as the mission of our own parishes and ministries. Antoine de Sainte-Exupery puts it excellently, "if you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea."

Not only do we tell the future, though, we also speak of our place in a grander narrative. Samwise Gamgee has the great line in The Return of the King recognizing that not only are they part of a great adventure of their own, but they are still within an even greater adventure spanning back even to the creation of the world. We, too, have the privilege of such an adventure - the great journey of our lives is intertwined with the story of the Church, which is the story of Jesus ongoing, which is the story of all of human history from Adam to this very moment. What a narrative that we are in a position to share with our teens!

This is a hobbit habit that we should really cultivate - by reading the scriptures, praying, reading great books, and being able to witness from our own lives how the story of Jesus continues beyond the Gospels and into each and every human heart.

4. Gathering Around Food

Breakfast, Second Breakfast, Elevensies, Luncheon, Afternoon Tea, Dinner, Supper... It is undoubtedly true that hobbits love their victuals. And why not? Food for hobbits, as for humans, not only nourishes, but gives opportunity for artistry and recollection, for community and civility. The more you can get, the better!

Youth ministry often gets teased for how much pizza they consume - although, boy is it a lot. But I think there's a reason pizza is such an icon of youth group life: it's cheap and kids love it. No, but really, having food at youth ministry meetings gives us an opportunity to become companions, those who break bread together. It gives us an avenue to sit face-to-face and converse with our teens and adult leaders and grow together through this common experience. Food undoubtedly unites us.

My favorite opportunities to connect with teens are on car rides to and from events (you're all looking in the same direction, which takes some of that awkward eye contact out of the picture) and over meals after events. There's just something different and special about sharing a meal that lets the conversation flow more freely, the opportunities for courtesies and manners to come forth. So maybe, sometimes, grab that pizza and sit around a table talking about anything from Star Wars to salamanders to Salvation History - whatever lets you enjoy everyone's company and become more human. And whatever humanizes, divinizes.

5. Simplicity

"But where our hearts truly lie is in peace, and quiet, and good tilled earth." -Bilbo Baggins

There is something to be said for a simple life, and for that I will dedicate a simple paragraph. Remember that it is your prayer and your presence that speaks the loudest witness for Christ to your teens. Big events and loud music may have their place, but they ultimately all serve as inroads and opportunities for the small, simple invitation which you make happen. Do not be afraid to be simple, to do simple things, to love and work and care for those you minister to.

So the next time that you are sitting at your desk thinking things have gotten a little comfortable, a little stale or stagnant, remember you have a great ally in Bilbo Baggins. And before some wizened wizard comes in to give you a little nudge out of the door - which could metaphorically mean either running the parish website or being given a pink slip - remember some positive Hobbit Habits to bring a little bit of adventure to your ministry. And remember, "even the smallest person can change the course of the future."