The Keys to Effective Youth Ministry from a Teen's Perspective
The following is a research paper that I wrote for a college composition class. I wanted to post it on here because I believe it might be useful for any youth ministers, parents, or teens in ministry to read!
Just a bit of background info... The sources I used are linked at the bottom of this post. I was taking the course through a Protestant university, and thus, all of my Biblical citations are from the King James Version of the Bible. I spoke vaguely about Catholicism within this essay, as I could not be too specific, but I use very Catholic concepts within my writing. Please let me know what you think and if the ideas I present in this paper are useful to you!
I have always gone to church. I’ve always believed in God, loved Him, and said my prayers. However, I was never personally invested in my faith- it never excited me or made me live my life any differently from the rest of my friends. It took me until around age thirteen to realize that being a Christian meant more than going to church every Sunday and saying prayers before bed. My overly simple views of Christianity changed when I began attending my parish’s youth ministry program. My relationship with Christ, which had begun at my Baptism, was strengthened, and my relationships, life’s path, view of God and of my religion, and my entire world was changed and opened up by youth ministry. But why me? So many thousands of American teenagers attend services every week and never set foot back in a church for the rest of their lives after they graduate high school. Their parents, pastors, and youth group leaders cannot figure out what went wrong. Perhaps there was no specific programming or groups for teenagers. Maybe the church did have a thriving youth ministry program and great volunteers, but their group only had fun activities and fellowship nights with no educational, service, or worship opportunities. Youth ministry, in my own life and in the lives of many people that I know, has been vital to our journeys of faith. Without it, we would not be the Christians we are today. There are many different types of youth ministry programs, and each has a primary focus on a different area. Some focus on service and social justice, some on fellowship and having a good time, and some on learning about the liturgical and Biblical aspects of their faith. I have concluded that the reason why the youth ministry program I attended was so instrumental in my faith journey was that it incorporated all different types of youth ministry techniques. All of the different types of youth ministry programs are great, but Christians who incorporate opportunities for education about the faith, fellowship, service, and worship into their youth ministry programs will be most effective in keeping teens engaged with their faith and growing in their love for God.
Before analyzing the effective strategies for youth ministry, one must first recognize that God can work through any event and any person for any purpose. He is not bound by the effectiveness of our youth ministry programs and can inspire anyone He wants to come to Him, with or without youth ministry. To make sure this discussion applies to the majority of youth group attendees, I will assume that the average teenager attending a youth ministry program is one who regularly participates in other religious events and services: “About half of American adolescents regularly participate in religious organizations in the form of religious service attendance and participation in religious youth groups. … Youth who participate in one tend to be the same youth who participate in the other” (Smith et al. 609).
Therefore, the average teen will come to youth group for the first time with a basic understanding of, belief in, and love for God and even profess that what their church teaches is true. However, what is the benefit of going to church if they do not find ways to apply what they are being taught to their own lives? This is even illustrated Biblically in James 2:26: “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also”(NKJV). Faith in God, or even mere belief in God, is of no eternal benefit unless it forces one to begin following God’s commandments more closely and live life for Him. This change occurs when a person is open to doing the will of God in their lives. God is always waiting for us to be open to Him, but we must be receptive to His graces as well. We are not capable of saving our own souls, but we must cooperate with God’s grace and the Holy Spirit’s movement in our lives in order to be saved when we die. This is illustrated Biblically in Philippians 2:12-13: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (NKJV). When God works in a soul, they are inspired to do what He wills and obey His commandments, but as people have been given free will, God does not force us to be receptive to His graces. We are not automatically saved if we simply profess our faith but fail to live it out. From a secular perspective, “Adherence must be turned to acts, involve our emotions and will—our whole self—in our beliefs” (Baumlin 34) This means that true belief in a cause, not simply a religious one, calls for action and not simply mental agreement. For this reason, teenagers need ways to apply their beliefs to their daily lives and interests.
Certainly, it would be difficult for a pastor alone to make sure that teens have ways to apply what they hear in church to their lives. After all, pastors have so many congregants of so many different ages. For this reason, it is the job of the youth minister(s) (or parent, religion teacher, etc.) to apply what is taught in church services to the teenagers’ lives. The teens may hear and believe in all the truths of their faith that they are taught in church, but until someone shows them how to live them out, they will not become important or put into action in the teenagers’ lives. This is a result of the psychological developments that occur during adolescence. McGinnis explains to readers that “adolescence is a time when the brain busily prunes away rarely used neural connections” (1). She later describes this as the “’use it or lose it’[principle]” (McGinnis 1). The recognition of this fact is very important to remember for those who work with teenagers. What teens focus on is what they will form their lives around and oftentimes the things they “use” in their lives are not specifically covered in religious settings. “Most of the things that appeal to young people and that they consider worthwhile in the present often fail to surface in the Religion programme. … Relationships, sport, music, social events and special interests all occupy their [teenagers’] time and attention” (Hunt 144). In light of this, those who minister to teenagers must make the Gospel message relevant to the teenagers' interests and experiences through engaging activities that will help them think through and grasp the ideas presented to them, thus enabling the teens to "use" but not "lose" their religious beliefs in their everyday lives.
Some practical ideas for providing applicable educational topics might include leading Bible studies that highlight the practical aspects of the Christian life; providing lessons in Christian morals and ethics that would apply to teenagers’ lives (ie: sexual morality, pro-life issues, etc.); playing trivia games that cover a variety of topics about the faith; allowing the teens to choose which faith-related topics about which they would like to learn. The applicability of topics to students’ lives will keep them engaged with the things about which they learn. McGinnis points out that it is important for teachers and others who engage with teenagers to provide “engaging activities that require [their] students to think critically, since what happens in [their] classrooms can ultimately impact the hardwiring of their brains” (1). While, yes, the faith-related educational topics that a youth minister chooses to cover must be relatable, they also must encourage the teens to think critically and analyze why they believe what they are being told is true.
Once someone is taught about how to apply their faith to their lives, in my experience, it is helpful that they are given opportunities to do so. For example, in my early teen years, I enjoyed learning about theological topics during youth group and was enthusiastic about the idea of evangelization but never had really had opportunities to put them into practice. It was only when I had the opportunity to teach a group of elementary and middle school girls about what I believe and what I have found to be true about Christ and His Church that my beliefs were solidified in my own mind. Because teens have different temperaments, spiritual maturity levels, backgrounds, etc. their community and youth ministers can help give the teens the guidance they need to identify their strengths, interests, and how they can put them into action in order to serve others.
Christians could provide students with these opportunities by helping the teens to plan and lead service projects or events for the community (whether they be of an educational or simply fun nature). During my time leading the group that I mentioned above, the boys’ group leader and I would brainstorm a service project that related to the topics we were discussing. The events and projects that we planned helped the participants to get excited about their faith and helped them to put what they had learned in the educational component of our time together into practice. When given opportunities for service, students will put what they have learned about the Christian life into practice so that they are less likely to forget or ignore what they have learned. This again illustrates the use it or lose it principle and takes advantage of the psychological and physiological brain development of adolescents. When students take advantage of the many opportunities for service, the more that service and living out the Gospel will become important to them.
Any work of mercy one accomplishes through an act of service puts faith into action. Mercy is expressed in three ways: deed, word, and prayer. Communities can offer opportunities for mercy through deeds by volunteer opportunities at nursing homes, hospitals, food pantries, homeless shelters, pregnancy care centers; by collecting and donating items to a family or charitable organization; or by fundraising for a specific cause. Mercy by word could look like setting up a public prayer station and praying with people who walk by on the street, writing letters of encouragement to soldiers or people in the hospital, writing inspirational notes and sticking them in random public areas, or simply by being encouraging and loving in speech. Mercy by prayer could look like praying outside of an abortion clinic, holding a prayer service for the intention of peace in the world, or handing out surveys asking people how you can pray for them, and then praying for those intentions as a group. Putting mercy into action will be spiritually beneficial to all who participate, not only the teens, and help them to live out what they have learned in youth ministry or in church. After all, “The mercy of God [is] the beating heart of the Gospel” (Francis 7). Service opportunities benefit both the teens and those whom they are serving:
For many congregations, service projects and community ministry programs not only provide the opportunity to meet a significant community need, but also attempt to provide opportunities for congregants to develop and grow in their faith, based on a theology that faith is not only belief, but action (Hugen et al. 410).
There is no way of telling how some tiny service project will change the life of another person, whether it be the teen or the person being served. In my own experience, the opportunity to lead the ministry group gave me a passion for working with young people, strengthened my own faith, and formed some beautiful relationships in my life. I have little way of knowing how my service impacted the girls with which I worked, but I entrust them to Jesus and continue to serve them through my prayers.
Another great benefit of service projects in youth group environments includes the connections that are made between the students and those they serve, and most especially those that students make with one another. Both educational and service activities performed in a youth ministry environment build connections and relationships between teens. In my own life, some of the most important relationships I have outside of my family have been formed because of youth ministry. At a time in their lives when they are always learning and growing, seeking to figure out who they are and what that means for the way they should live their lives, peer influences are vital to teenagers’ social development. In addition to this, teenagers “are faced with questions of what their religious identity will be, if any, and the nature and degree of that identity” (Lopez et al. 1298). Youth ministry programs help to form teenagers both socially and spiritually giving them the chance to explore with their peers how they will live out what they are taught. For some teens, youth ministry may have no major effect. They may not have formed friendships within the group or perhaps other influences in their lives were stronger. However, “the more people interact with and participate in the activities of a group, the more the group’s norms will be reinforced, and the more likely they are to use those norms to evaluate their behavior” (Desmond and Kraus 15). Following this logic, if teenagers regularly attend youth group and participate in the activities and opportunities provided, they will adopt the viewpoints and ideologies of the group and consequently live their lives by those standards. It’s also important to note that teenagers are very community-oriented- where their friends go, so will they. If they go to a youth group and build their friendships through that group, they will consequently keep returning and participating in the activities of the group such as learning through educational youth group meetings and participating in service projects and times of worship, thus starting the cycle again, strengthening both their faith and relationships with one another. Hunt writes, “Only in relation to a 'you' can an ‘I’ be aware of self” (141). This is especially true in teenagers. It is only in relating and reacting to someone else that teenagers become aware of who they are. Youth groups help to shape the views of the “you” by teaching them the truth about their faith in relation to the rest of society so that teens can become aware of the truths about themselves, who they truly are and how they should live. The teens also form deep relationships with their peers because of the raw intimacy of sharing and accompanying one another on the spiritual journey. The friends one makes in youth group will hold them accountable for living out their faith and encourage them to live their life for Christ in all circumstances.
Even if a youth group is not particularly sophisticated or large, occasional fellowship nights for students are vital for bringing about those deep friendships. While the teens will not solely discuss faith-related matters, the time is still of benefit because it allows them to form friendships with other people who have similar moral and religious views and who come from families who share similar values. For any teens attending who may not come from any particular faith tradition, it will allow them to make new friends and eventually encounter and form a relationship with Christ.
Teenagers become more comfortable discussing religious topics and voicing their opinions within a youth group setting when they are given opportunities for friendship and community building. When teens have those "mountain-top" experiences together (i.e. service projects, retreats, etc.) they will be more likely to discuss them with their friends and share their experiences. I was not comfortable with evangelizing until I could openly discuss my faith with my youth group friends. Having a group of people with whom one is comfortable sharing questions, experiences, and concerns, particularly when they relate to faith-based topics, is very helpful in one’s spiritual journey.
The attitude of a youth minister towards the teenagers to whom he or she is ministering to also has a large influence on the attitude of teenagers towards their faith. It is noted “that effective youth ministry is attainable particularly when youth find their pastors are caring, warm, and friendly” (Ji and Tameifuna 308). When teens can build strong, loving, Christian relationships with positive role models they are more likely to feel like they are a part of a community and not simply a burden because they are young. In a religious environment, teenagers feel more comfortable and are more likely to keep coming to group events if their youth minister acts as he or she enjoys being with them. The opposite of this, however, is also true. Youth ministers who are impersonal, dry, inactive, unengaging, or who treat youth like children rather than young adults (even if some of them don't act like it) drive teens away from forming positive relationships with them and consequently with their churches, with each other, and even with God.
Opportunities for prayer and worship tie youth ministry together. After all, what is the point of youth ministry programs, of all the service, education, and community, if they do not help students to grow in their love and understanding of God? There are multiple ways of introducing opportunities for prayer and worship into teens’ lives. The specifics might depend on the practices of the specific faith tradition that the church of the youth group is a part of, but however one presents opportunities for worship, the goal should be the same- to initiate an encounter with God for the teens. Overall, the focus of worship in youth ministry is to create, “quality programs that can create vibrant personal religion and the sense of sacredness in the youth's spiritual life” (Ji and Tameifuna 308). Ultimately, it is these experiences of prayer and worship- this encounter with the God that they learn about and serve through their ministry to others- that will get and keep the teens in love with their Lord and with their church. If a youth ministry program is not based in prayer, it is virtually worthless. If Christians do not provide teens with opportunities for prayer and worship, then what is the point of their ministry? True conversion results from encounters with God.
In my own experience both leading and participating in youth ministry, it is the direct spiritual experiences that bring students into love with their Lord. Ultimately, it is not the youth minister, the educational or service experiences, or the friendships that will keep students coming to youth ministry and ultimately in love with God, but it is the habits of prayer that they form and the experiences of intimacy with Him that will keep them lifelong and devoted Christians.
For we who love Christ and want to bring others to Him, specifically teenagers, it seems that to minister effectively to teens, we must incorporate opportunities for education, service, fellowship, and most especially, worship into our programs and youth groups. The goal is to get and keep teenagers living the faith they have been taught and in love with God. The previously mentioned strategy takes advantage of the natural human learning process, along with adolescent psychological development, and tendencies. Ultimately, it is up to the teenagers to decide, just as I did, to live out their faith and the things they are taught in youth ministry programs. It is up to them to decide to take initiative and responsibility for their life choices and their decisions to follow God and cooperate with His grace. But it is up to us, the Christian community, to provide the teens with all the resources and experiences we can to help guide them to live out their faith in and love for Christ and all people.
Works Cited
Baumlin, James. “Persuasion, Rogerian Rhetoric, and Imaginative Play.” Rhetoric Society Quarterly, vol. 17, no. 1, 1987, pp. 33-43, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3885207. Accessed 16 Apr. 2022.
Desmond, Scott A., and Rachel Kraus. “The Effects of Importance of Religion and Church Attendance on Adolescents’ Moral Beliefs.” Sociological Focus, vol. 47, no. 1, 2014, pp. 11–31, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24579357.
Francis. “Misericordeiae Vultus.” The Holy See, 11 April 2015.
Hugen, Beryl, et al. “Service and Faith: The Impact on Christian Faith of Community Ministry Participation.” Review of Religious Research, vol. 47, no. 4, 2006, pp. 409–426. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20058107.
Hunt, Vincent J. “Religion Caught and Taught — Teaching Religion Today.” The Furrow, vol. 62, no. 3, 2011, pp. 139–147. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23046401.
Ji, Chang-Ho C., and Tameifuna, Tevita. “Youth Pastor, Youth Ministry, and Youth Attitude Toward the Church.” Review of Religious Research, vol. 52, no. 3, 2011, pp. 306–322. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23055554.
Lopez, Anna B., et al. “A Longitudinal Study of Religious Identity and Participation During Adolescence.” Child Development, vol. 82, no. 4, 2011, pp. 1297–1309. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41289843.
McGinnis, Patty. “Critical Thinking and the Adolescent Brain.” Science Scope, vol. 42, no. 3, 2018, p. 1 https://www.jstor.org/stable/26611851.
Smith, Christian, et al. “Mapping American Adolescent Religious Participation.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, vol. 41, no. 4, 2002, pp. 597–612. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1387477.