There are five primary areas that are vital to the purpose of a thriving youth ministry. To build meaningful relationships, share the Gospel, make disciples of Jesus, empower young people, and help grow the church.
You may have been a youth pastor for many years, or perhaps you are newly appointed to the role. Whether you are new to youth ministry or have been doing it your whole life, it is important to consider the purpose of youth ministry and remind yourself why.
Youth ministry has ups and downs; there are times of growth and excitement, and difficult times when morale is low, or something happens that shakes the young people you are leading.
Ahead of the key pillars of youth ministry, let me define a youth ministry and why it is different from a youth club.
There are many similarities between a youth ministry and a club, and many churches may be running a mix of the two. However, a youth ministry is Jesus-centred, intending to see young people discipled and grow in their relationship with God. A youth ministry will likely still organise many activities in the same way as a youth club, but there is a key distinction to note.
Each of the five purposes of youth ministry is grounded in perhaps the most memorised Bible verse:
‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.’– John 3:16-17
This verse serves as a simple reminder that each young person we lead and serve is loved wholly and unconditionally by God. In John 3:16-17, you have a relationship, the Gospel, following Jesus, empowerment and the key verse that grows the church.
1) Building Relationships
Throughout Paul’s writings, he emphasises the importance of relationships. In Romans 1:11-12, ‘I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith’.
In youth ministry, there are so many relational connections that we build:
- Relationships with Young People
- Relationships with Parents
- Relationships with your team
- Relationship with the wider church
- Relationships with other youth ministries
- Relationships with organisations and schools
Perhaps the most obvious and important relationships we build in youth ministry are with young people – it’s in the name! Yet, often as youth leaders, we can forget the importance of the other relationships we build.
Your relationships with young people’s parents are important; build trust and highlight the importance of faith in the home for the families you are supporting.
Your team relationships cultivate a strong foundation for your youth ministry and prepare your team for growth. Sometimes forgotten, youth ministry should not be a separate department siloed from your church. Build relationships with other ministries and interweave your youth ministry into the life of your church.
In addition to these four core relationships, relationships with other ministries across your town, city, country or even the world will add something significant to your young people. Unity is at the heart of God, so cultivate it as often as you can! Also, consider other relationships you can have in your local area, with organisations that have similar goals. Each of these can add to your influence and your support network.
Building relationships is a significant core purpose of youth ministry, as it sets the foundation for the hopes and dreams God has given you for the youth ministry you are leading.
2) Sharing the Gospel
Sharing the Gospel should be at the very centre of every youth ministry. The Great Commission is the core command given to every believer regardless of ministry, gifting or calling. Every believer is called to share the Gospel, and as such, it should be at the very heart of our youth ministries.
Romans 1:16 says, ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile’. Youth groups should be fun and engaging; they should have silly games and memory-making moments, but if we do not proclaim the Gospel to the young people we are leading, we rob them of the opportunity to accept Jesus and receive salvation.
That is not to say that every activity should be a Bible study; there are many ways to share the Gospel with young people. I know that for me, some of the deepest and most profound conversations happen with young people when going on a hike or in the minibus on the way to an event. But we cannot take away from the fact that the Gospel should always be at the centre. It is our key distinction from being simply a youth club.
2 Timothy 2:15 says, ‘Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth’. It is a responsibility to share the Word of God with young people, but it is a beautiful one. One of the most beautiful moments as a youth pastor is to baptise a young person and help them as they begin their faith journey.
3) Making Disciples
Perhaps the most humbling and terrifying part of being a youth leader can be found in Paul’s words when he writes in 1 Corinthians 11:1, ‘Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ’. As a youth leader, we live this out for our young people. As we teach them about Jesus, as we help guide them and encourage them, we are role models, and they watch what we do. That is not to say that we need to be perfect or not make mistakes, but we need to ensure that we are spending time with God for ourselves. The young people we are leading follow us, and we need to ensure that we are leading them as we follow the example of Christ.
Making disciples is an important part of youth ministry. Christianity is not just about a one-time decision, but it is a daily decision to choose to live following Jesus. Decisions to follow Jesus are important, but our purpose within our youth ministries should be to disciple well-rooted believers, who in turn disciple others.
Matthew 28:18-20 says, ‘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.”‘. There is more to the Great Commission than encouraging young people to make a decision. We should be discipling, baptising and teaching those we are leading.
4) Empowering Young People
Each youth ministry will have young people within it who are leaders. Another purpose of youth ministry is to grow and empower young leaders. Ephesians 4:11-13 says, ‘So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ’.
There will be leaders and young people with Ephesians 4:11 gifts within each youth ministry, and the youth ministry can be a great space for them to explore and grow in their gifts. Do you have young people taking responsibility for aspects of your ministry? It could be anything from leading the tuck shop to giving opportunities to teach their peers. Young people can and should be given opportunities to serve and lead!
Perhaps you have other young people who have passions and talents to serve others. This could be a musical gift, a passion for hospitality, or an aptitude for administration. Find opportunities to empower and grow young people. Every young person has something to give; they may just need it to be called out of them by you.
Empowering young people is not just your responsibility, but the responsibility of the whole church. Are there opportunities for young people to serve in other church departments – the worship team, tech team, children’s ministry or welcome team, for example? As a youth pastor, you are also an advocate for young people. Have a conversation with the people leading other departments and ministries to see where young people might serve.
5) Growing the Church
It can be incredibly easy for a youth ministry to become a youth church, siloed from the church. But this is not the intention, and it is not a healthy structure.
In 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 Paul writes, ‘Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so, the body is not made up of one part but of many’.
This verse is specifically about the different gifts and roles within the church, but in the same way, it can be applied to ministries within the church. We are not called to independence, but interdependence. The final purpose of youth ministry is to grow the church.
We need to have a holistic approach to the purpose we hold for our youth ministries; they should complement, grow and be intertwined with the wider church. The youth ministry you lead should serve your senior leader’s vision and be in line with the vision and values of the church. That is not to say that your activities’ flavour might be different from that of other church departments, but the core values should be the same.
There may be additional purposes for you in your context, and how each ministry may be presented will differ, as each of us leads out of who we are. But these five purposes are the foundations that I believe are essential for every youth ministry. To be building relationships, sharing the Gospel, making disciples, empowering young people and growing the church. Is there anything you’d add to this list?
