The ministry I'm involved with is a para-church organization that ministers to high school students. There is a lot of freedom when it comes to running programs compared to some churches which might tie down leaders and volunteers when it comes to interacting with students, but while some parents might feel uneasy with older folks spending time with their kids we have a great reputation with other parents in the community.
With that in mind, the specifics of the ministry I work within might be different than the means your organization takes, but these principles should be able to cross over into any youth ministry program.
Model Your Ministry After Jesus - No where in scripture did Jesus tell us to go make converts. Rather, He told us to make disciples.
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."- Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
While Jesus did speak to the masses the men he spent most of his time with were the twelve disciples, and within those twelve, an even more select three. If you were to gain 1000 new converts every year for fifteen years, you would have 15,000 new believers considering they were all genuine converts. This would surely be pretty impressive and your church would definitely take notice but is this method the best? and is it even possible?
What if you were to spend six months leading one person to the Lord and the next six months discipling that person so they could reproduce themselves? After one year, there would be two new christians. However, after twelve years, there would be no one left on earth to evangalize.
While there should be events aimed at bringing in and meeting new students specific attention should be paid toward the discipleship of students as well. We can feed and entertain them while telling them about Christ but if we aren't training our students to become disciples of Christ, then we are failing at completing the great commission.
Be Available - One of my most cherished memories of doing youth ministry was an interaction with a former student of mine a few months ago. He was a young man who I had met a few times through some of the students I was closer with, but never came to any of the events we ran while he was in school. This particular night, he was having some relationship questions and he message me on facebook while I was checking my email and getting ready for bed. He said he needed to talk to someone, and that I might have some answers to some of his questions.
Every once of my being wanted to stay home. I had worship band practice early in the morning and a full day after that, but something inside of me told me to go. I picked up the now college student and ended up sharing the gospel with him at a White Castle at 2 a.m.
Being a leader of student ministry means that if we are really building relationships with students that they will come to us with questions about God, relationships, and life. Look for opportunities where you can interact with students, and even plan big events around students schedules. Planing weekly events on Friday might be a bad idea because your competing with football and basketball. Planning times when students are free might mean a sacrifice on your end.
Be Real - I remember the first time I learned my youth minister wasn't perfect. He had taken a few of us high school guys out for snow cones, and the only music he had in his truck was nineties rap. ODB, Wu Tang, Biggie - all the greats. If my mother would have heard some of the lyrics from those songs, I probably wouldn't be allowed to go on anymore snow cone outings.
But it was the night that I learned my leader was a lot like me than I thought he was. As leaders in youth ministry we get the opportunity to present the gospel to students, many of which are hearing it for the first time. I'm not promoting sinning in order to win students for Jesus, but being able to share your life with them can be a benefit as well. Letting them see that you listen to top forty stations or whatever the case may be can help build credibility when ministering to students.
Get Involved - Look for ways to get involved with students outside of your church or youth ministry. Travis Deans has compiled a list of thirty ways to get involved and build relationships with the schools in your area. I know quite a few men and women involved in youth ministry who coach high school sports. While many of these kids won't ever come to a program they run, these men and women are purposefully coaching - building relationships with students who otherwise would never hear the gospel.
Remember Parents - While we may claim that our calling is to students, we have to take into consideration their parents as well. What are you doing to involve parents in your ministry? From my experience parents look at what I'm doing and praise me for my efforts, but as a follower of Jesus, I want everyone to know Him, not just the students I interact with. In your ministry are there opportunities for parents to help out? Most of the time, all you need to do is ask parents for help, and they will! Too many youth workers feel that they are all alone when it comes to doing ministry and that always isn't the case. Involving parents can have tremendous effects on both the students and their family.
Be Available - One of my most cherished memories of doing youth ministry was an interaction with a former student of mine a few months ago. He was a young man who I had met a few times through some of the students I was closer with, but never came to any of the events we ran while he was in school. This particular night, he was having some relationship questions and he message me on facebook while I was checking my email and getting ready for bed. He said he needed to talk to someone, and that I might have some answers to some of his questions.
Every once of my being wanted to stay home. I had worship band practice early in the morning and a full day after that, but something inside of me told me to go. I picked up the now college student and ended up sharing the gospel with him at a White Castle at 2 a.m.
Being a leader of student ministry means that if we are really building relationships with students that they will come to us with questions about God, relationships, and life. Look for opportunities where you can interact with students, and even plan big events around students schedules. Planing weekly events on Friday might be a bad idea because your competing with football and basketball. Planning times when students are free might mean a sacrifice on your end.
Be Real - I remember the first time I learned my youth minister wasn't perfect. He had taken a few of us high school guys out for snow cones, and the only music he had in his truck was nineties rap. ODB, Wu Tang, Biggie - all the greats. If my mother would have heard some of the lyrics from those songs, I probably wouldn't be allowed to go on anymore snow cone outings.
But it was the night that I learned my leader was a lot like me than I thought he was. As leaders in youth ministry we get the opportunity to present the gospel to students, many of which are hearing it for the first time. I'm not promoting sinning in order to win students for Jesus, but being able to share your life with them can be a benefit as well. Letting them see that you listen to top forty stations or whatever the case may be can help build credibility when ministering to students.
Get Involved - Look for ways to get involved with students outside of your church or youth ministry. Travis Deans has compiled a list of thirty ways to get involved and build relationships with the schools in your area. I know quite a few men and women involved in youth ministry who coach high school sports. While many of these kids won't ever come to a program they run, these men and women are purposefully coaching - building relationships with students who otherwise would never hear the gospel.
Remember Parents - While we may claim that our calling is to students, we have to take into consideration their parents as well. What are you doing to involve parents in your ministry? From my experience parents look at what I'm doing and praise me for my efforts, but as a follower of Jesus, I want everyone to know Him, not just the students I interact with. In your ministry are there opportunities for parents to help out? Most of the time, all you need to do is ask parents for help, and they will! Too many youth workers feel that they are all alone when it comes to doing ministry and that always isn't the case. Involving parents can have tremendous effects on both the students and their family.
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