We’ve been out this week meeting with Youth Leaders. It’s been great to hear the stories and meet folks who are giving their lives to the students in their churches. Here’s a couple things they’ve said are working well in their ministries.
- Mission trips and service experiences: Students love serving. The youth leaders I’ve been speaking to hear from their students that they’d rather serve or get involved than just meet, discuss and play games together.
- Relationships are key: Every youth leader this week has said that the youth in their church seem to be crying out for relationship. They value time together with their youth leader outside of “normal” church activity. Meet over coffee. Watch a sporting event. Go to a movie. These times are just as valuable (sometimes more valuable) than a regular youth group meeting.
- Great curriculum works. Bad curriculum is almost worse than doing nothing: Many youth workers have expressed frustrations finding great curriculum. But when they do – the students really respond and are engaged.
- There actually are some churches that aren’t just focused on #’s: It’s been very refreshing to hear about youth ministries that don’t feel pressure for numbers but are free to pursue transformation and life change. A very cool part of this week.
What’s working in your ministry? Please share some of the ideas and things that you feel are going great and helps you to love working with the students in your church?
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Jeff Thompson, a veteran of youth ministry, serves as the Director of Youth Missions for Group Mission Trips - Workcamps, Week of Hope and The Big Day of Serving.
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Toby Rowe is the Mission Program Manager for Group Workcamps, Group Week of Hope, and The Big Day of Serving - which is fancy talk for overseeing the spiritual content and worship programming.
Over the years I find that student involvement and leadership has really worked and been key to a fresh and relevant youth program. Every chance I’ve had over the years I recruit high school students to teach middle school programs. It turns out that little kids still look up to big kids. It’s really encouraging. This has also solidified or identified a call to youth ministry for a lot of high school students.