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Back to newsEver heard of the Peter Principle? It’s a theory developed by management thinker Laurence J Peter, which states that people in a hierarchy tend to rise to their level of incompetence. That is to say: you are likely to get promoted one level higher than you should be. Don’t panic, I’m sure it doesn’t apply to you.
This theory does seem to adequately describe my present situation however. As the newly-installed Team Leader for the Youthscape Centre for Research, I’m painfully aware of my lack of relevant skills and experience. I mean, I like research as much as the next person; I never miss an edition of The Story, and I’m always on the Internet trying to discover what movie I’ve seen that actor in before. But I was at the back of the queue when the Lord was handing out statistical analysis skills. Or indeed, the ability to read a graph.
Thankfully, the team I get to lead at the Youthscape Centre for Research were right up the front.* Gemma and Hannah – or ‘Quant’ and ‘Qual’ as they seem to affectionately term themselves for reasons that still mystify me – are brilliant, super-smart research boffins who mix an understanding of trends and number crunching with a passion for youth ministry. I couldn’t imagine two people more suited to running Youthscape’s research engine room. All I have to do is make sure they’re fed and watered, and most important that they take all their annual leave.
I’m joking of course. I’m thrilled to be joining this team, alongside my other roles at Youthscape, because I am convinced that proper research is vital if we’re going to successfully address some of youth ministry’s biggest challenges. And as a non-specialist, hopefully I can bring a little bit of a youth worker’s perspective into highfaluting conversations about metrics and methodologies. Because of course research – which is really just listening properly to the world around us and making sure we’ve got our facts straight – should matter to every non-specialist who wants to make sure we’re actually answering the right questions.
At their core, youth ministry and research share a common thread: the art of listening well. That’s what the Youthscape Centre for Research is all about—paying close attention to what’s really happening in young people’s lives and making sure our responses are grounded in reality. And ironically, that’s why they’re worth listening to. So, for my part, I’m just here to keep cheering them on—and encouraging you to keep listening along with us.
*Quick theology check: Youthscape and the Centre for Research in no way believe that there’s some sort of heavenly assembly line where God hands out abilities, physical attributes or even peanuts. Just thought we should clarify.
