Youth Ministry resources- Creating A library

Youth ministry resources come in a variety of categories and options.  These resources encompass everything from sermons to administrative materials for planning and running events.  That is why it is important for you to continually build a library of these resources throughout your years in ministry. Why?  First of all, you need to be prepared for any situation that comes up. So the more resources you have, even if you do not necessarily need them in the moment, the more prepared you will be.  Second, you need to save time. I believe that time is one of the most valuable resources that we have.  And we do not need to spend all of our time hunting down resources when we could be out doing ministry and building relationships. So, by building a library as we go, instead of just waiting to find exactly what we need right when we need it, we can save ourselves time in searching.  Just print or save things as you come across them and then you will have them when the time comes.  Finally, this saves money.  We all have a limited amount of funds, and by finding resources as you go along you can save much of those funds.  This is because there are many free materials and ideas available.  But often times they are only free for a moment, or if you wait until the last minute and are in a rush you cannot find them and end up paying for something that would have been free otherwise.  So how do you go about this? There are two main things I would suggest.  First of all, keep your eyes open.  As you are browsing the web or talking to other ministers, keep your eyes open for resources and then start steadily building your library.  Second, and finally, get organized.  Get some binders and create some folders on your computer so that you can organize and catalog all these resources so that you can quickly and easily find them when they are needed.  Because remember.  Finding all these materials and supplies is not your number one job. Building relationships and ministering to others is.  That is why I believe these suggestions are vital to you as a youth pastor so that you can save time and money when it comes to finding resources and devote yourself more fully to what matters most.