Philosophy of Youth Ministry

One thing that has been a passion of mine for the last 10 yrs has been working with teenagers. I developed this philosophy while in college at Lipscomb and have modified it over the years to show my take on what makes ministry effective for the lives of today's youth. I'd love youth thoughts and take on it if you would like to comment.

My Philosophy of Youth Ministry by Zac Smith
In youth ministry, I believe first and foremost that teenagers don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. The youth minister plays a vital role and is an essential part of a team effort in building up the kingdom of God through the church. As a youth minister it is very challenging to do everything required within one’s ministry and do it effectively. Youth ministry is about God and people and pointing people to God. It is about bringing teenagers into the presence of Jesus by showing and sharing with them the awesome power of the God that we serve. In order to make youth ministry effective one needs to get out of the way and fully rely on God’s direction for a more effective ministry. Effective ministry doesn’t take place unless one fully realizes that the ministry isn’t built on a single person but built on Jesus Christ. I believe if a youth ministry is to be effective it has to know where it is going. That begins from the top and works its way down.

Through my years working with teenagers, youth ministry needs to be relational. One of the major keys to effective youth ministry is the building of relationships with both the teenagers as well as their parents. By building relationships with the teenagers, one allows each teen to have a sense of belonging, a sense of acceptance, and most importantly a sense that they are loved.

In addition to building relationships, it is important to assist teenagers to take ownership in their own ministries. The only way to get teenagers exposed to ministry opportunities is to assist them in reaching their full potential. If you do everything, they will never make it on their own. They will graduate from high school and church at the same time; this overwhelming pattern has become too common in our churches. Their faith has to be real! It’s important to work hard at setting teens up to succeed in ministry! As a youth minister, one must work hard at equipping teens with training and adult support, while making sure that they know that the main core of their ministry is their responsibility.

If all you do in youth ministry is get the teenagers wet in the baptistery, then you’ve cheated them. The Great Commission says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every living creature, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I’ve commanded.” If you aren’t following through and teaching them to obey, you didn’t finish the job.

Finally, I believe that every ministry has one person who drives that ministry. This is the person who has to take the tough stands when no one else is willing to step up to the plate—even if it means standing alone! However, in ministry, there is also a team concept with God at the head and support from the leadership of the church, members of the church, parents of teens and the teens as well.