Youth Ministry Teams

Many church’s hire a Youth Minister with the expectation that this person will do all the church’s ministry with youth on their behalf.  This approach, however, does not adequately reflect the calling to a “ministry of all believers” and so is not desirable – even if it were possible for one person. So, here I present an alternative to the all too common “lone ranger” youth minister: a team approach.

I believe a balanced, effective and active church youth ministry can change the life of a young person. This happens when our adult leaders take part in ministry with youth and youth are given opportunities to lead. Most importantly, we share in Christ’s ministry with youth, and no individual is left alone, overburdened and overwhelmed.

This team approach puts into action the church’s belief in the importance of youth ministry by involving both adults and youth in the life of the congregation. Being involved with youth says more to them than any spoken word: God and the church (via a real person) cares about them. Youth will benefit from relating and serving with a variety of adults with diverse gifts and personalities. And the participation of these adults in youth ministry helps youth feel more a part of the whole church–the family of faith.

Some adults who are invited to be involved in youth ministry are concerned that they don’t fit a certain ”youth worker” stereotype. Effective youth workers simply don’t fit the standard stereotypes.  Rather, in this approach it is important to have a diversity and variety of personalities on the ministry teams to reach all youth.  You don’t have to be in your twenties or thirties. People of all ages have gifts of time and talent to share with youth. Youth ministry is an intergenerational ministry that is the responsibility of the entire congregation.

What youth actually need are people:

• who are living out their faith;
• who care about youth and like them;
• who are willing to become involved in the lives of youth;
• who are sincere and genuine.

The church provides support, resources, training, and publicity. Support comes through the youth ministry team, other youth workers, parents, the youth minister, pastor, and other church members. Support includes encouragement, prayer, and listening to your needs and concerns. At times, support could includes nursery care for your children during youth meetings.

Resources are necessary to carry out an effective youth ministry and the church will cover your expenses for youth activities, food, books, literature, materials, and provide names of resource people, projectors, newsprint, markers, whatever you need for youth ministry. The church will encourage you to evaluate your ministry with youth and make suggestions through its leadership. The church will provide or pay your way to youth worker training sessions and workshops. The church provides publicity for youth activities through the newsletter and/or worship bulletin.

In the Fall (late August or September), the Youth Council takes an annual planning retreat, possibly away from the church grounds. In addition, a planning day will be take place at church one Saturday in March. These events are open to everyone who is willing to consider participate by serving on a ministry team, both adults and youth.

It is suggested that the retreat be organized with two major goals in mind. The first goal is group building/formation. Time is spent on having fun together and building community among participants. The second goal involves planning the overall program for the year (September – August) through the use of ministry teams. The retreat also includes a worship experience for youth. Either event may also include activities to promote leadership development.

A disciple is someone who is seeking to learn who Christ is in his or her life and to discover how God’s love can be lived through him or her on a daily basis — both within and apart from church activities. Youth grow as disciples through including all other persons in fellowship, celebrating regularly with others in worship, growing together in study, seeking to be who God is calling them to be through service, and inviting others into this fellowship through outreach. Disciples want to discover God’s will for their lives by growing in love, striving to reach their potential and by serving others.

Our youth ministry depends upon youth and adult disciples working together in teams. Every youth is invited to serve on a youth ministry team. Youth also serve by taking on the responsibility of being a team leader or a representative on a church committee, board, or council. Whether or not they have a formal position, all youth can be leaders by honest and direct communication, good listening skills, participation in discussions, self-discipline, developing and sharing personal gifts, and seeing the good in others and respecting their opinions.

Leadership is different from popularity. Leadership is discipleship. It is about making a commitment to responsibly serve God and one another by cheerfully offering gifts of our time, talents, energy, and ideas. Its about working with others to make things happen!

A Youth Council is composed of youth representatives from five youth-led ministry teams.  At least one adult from each ministry team will also serve on the Youth Council. This group coordinate activities and sets general plans and policies for youth ministry.  Each youth-led ministry team reports to the Youth Council which meets monthly. Each team is composed of at least one youth and one adult together. All youth have the opportunity to serve on a team that interests them.

Each team will implement activities in its area (generally planned at retreat and decided by the Youth Council) and make other plans necessary to developing its ministry area; evaluate the previous month’s activity; see that all details for its monthly activity are cared for; decide when other leadership is needed; determine responsibilities for specific team members; decide what announcements need to made to the youth regarding upcoming activities, and arrange a time-line for getting tasks done.

Each member of the Youth Council serves on a ministry team and all youth are encouraged to join a team:

• Fellowship/Recreation – plans and implements games, recreational and group-building activities that reflect Christian faith and discipleship and which have the purpose of reaching out to include others by building friendships among all youth
• Study/Discussion – plans times for youth to actively reflect on the content and meaning of the gospel; designs group reflection on our service; selects and coordinates study topics, special speakers, and meeting leaders
• Worship/Celebration – creates, plans, and conducts experiences of worship and prayer which enable youth to respond to God’s grace
• Service/Mission – plans and implements projects/activities where youth can act out their faith by doing the work of Christ; encourages good stewardship and support of mission and service projects
• Outreach/Invitation - plans to reach out to include all youth through invitation, hospitality, and follow-up on visitors; invites and informs youth through a monthly youth newsletter

This is simply one implementation of this team ministry approach.  Make modifications according to your situation, size, and interest.

The most important responsibility of the adult members of the ‘youth ministry team’  is to build authentic and caring relationships. Your relationship with youth is more important than any “program.” Building friendships with youth will involve spending time getting to know youth individually and letting them know you. In addition to the ministry team meetings, such opportunities can occur at retreat, youth meetings (including before and after), worship and at other church activities. It is important to consciously work to build relationships within the wider group. Learning can be more relational through the use of small groups when appropriate and through the use of group-building activities. If we can see ourselves as co-learners with youth, we can move more deeply into relationships of trust and mutuality.

The other main responsibility of the adult who serves on a ministry team has to do with planning and carrying out the activities in their ministry area. This means attending the two annual planning retreats and a monthly meeting of the ministry team. Monthly and ongoing activities are planned in detail in the ministry team meeting. Adult team members are asked to pray for the youth, attend at least one other youth meeting each month, and be an available resource person to youth. Adults can be facilitators of youth in the ministry teams by helping draw out their ideas, thoughts, and participation. They will work to include those being left out of discussions and activities. They will call youth to remind them of their responsibilities. They will also help the team evaluate the previous month’s activities. Adults shouldn’t feel they have to do everything. They help create opportunities for youth to take on real responsibility which includes the possibility of “failure.” Remember:  youth ministry is happening in the experience of youth being involved in the life of the church.

Adult participants aren’t expected to be perfect. But, it is essential that leaders make a commitment to ongoing personal and spiritual growth. Regular participation in church school, worship, service and other congregational activities demonstrates that commitment.

Have you recognized that God’s grace is more powerful than judgement, legalism and works righteousness? You will need to be willing to extend that grace to hurting young people. We hope that you will be a youth advocate in speaking out for youth concerns. The team needs your participation which includes your ideas, suggestions, and evaluations. We can all learn better with others so team members are expected to call on each other for help.

Plans to reach out to include all youth through invitation, hospitality, and follow-up on visitors; invites and informs youth through a monthly youth newsletter or website.

This team makes sure every youth is welcomed with a smile and unquestioned acceptance.

As the Outreach Team, we can have a great influence over the life and vitality of our youth group. We can lead our group to be invitational and to experience the energy and excitement that comes from being a growing and alive group!

Seeking out and welcoming people who may be different from us or who may have different physical and/or spiritual needs is at times a frightening and difficult task. Yet, it is one of the greatest challenges for Christian disciples.

Our responsibilities include discovering youth in our church and community who are not participating in the life of the church, welcoming youth when they attend, and coordinating the invitational plans of the other ministry teams and individual youth. Our leadership will help our youth respond to the call to share God’s grace with the youth of our community. In what other ways can we become an invitational youth group?

Our team’s work is about growing a youth group. Our purpose is to follow the example of Jesus in extending ministry to those around us, inviting others to know and experience the Christian message of unmerited grace that includes and encourages us to include others.

Some possibilities:

• welcoming and following up on visitors to youth fellowship, Logos, church school, or worship; introducing ourselves and trying to help others feel at home
• creating and keeping current a social networking group/page for your group, i.e. facebook group.
• producing a monthly youth newsletter containing information about youth and youth activities to be mailed to all current and prospective members; it should be sensitive to reaching people outside of the youth group; information should also be submitted to the church secretary for the church newsletter
• producing a yearly youth directory which includes names, phone numbers, addresses, a calling tree, and other information pertinent to our youth ministry
• keeping an up-top-date calendar of events made during the planning retreat and assisting in the promotion of major events
• maintaining a youth scrapbook and bulletin board with pictures and news about youth

Plans and implements projects/activities where youth can act out their faith by doing the work of Christ; encourages good stewardship and support of mission and service projects.

As the Service Team, we have a tremendous opportunity to help our youth group make a difference in our community and in the world. With the projects our team plans and implements, we can challenge one another to move beyond discussion to involvement where our help is needed.

We can put our faith into action as we participate with God in ministry to the outcast, the defenseless, the despised and the dispossesed.

Through service, youth can literally act as the Body of Christ to bring about change and healing in the world! And we may find that we too are changed in the process. We may discover God’s gifts and talents are not meant for us alone.

As we serve others, it is as though we serve Christ. How do we get started?

Some possibilities:

• planning and implementing the 30 Hour Famine, World Vision
• planning a “Humane Halloween,” trick-or-treating for food for the needy
• planning work days at church camp, charity or local service organization
• planning and implementing mission trips
• visiting the nursing home or hospital
• planning, implementing and participating in community service, including “meals on wheels,” serve a monthly meal to folks with HIV/AIDS work, and Habitat for Humanity

“Give, and it will be given to you” (Luke 6:38).
“Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31).
“Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers” (James 1:22).|
“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have” (Hebrews 13:16).
“The Son of Man…will say…”Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the
least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:31,34,40).

Creates, plans, and conducts experiences of worship and prayer which enable youth to respond to God’s grace.

As the Worship Team, we have a unique task. We will be planning and implementing activities that youth will not have the opportunity to experience in most other groups to which they belong. Worship is one of the key factors that makes our youth group different from most other groups of youth!

Worship experiences can minister to us through eyes, ears, thoughts, feelings, imaginations, and actions. Through worship we may sense the awe and mystery of God and be reminded of our relationship to God as children.

Services of worship can be some of the most meaningful times of our group’s life together. And from these group experiences, individuals can become inspired to deepen their personal times of devotion. How can we develop this depth of worship in the youth group?

Some possibilities:

• leading youth devotionals and youth sing-a-longs
• learn about worshiping God with the whole self including liturgical dance
• organizing experiences of creative worship for youth at church and retreat
• creating and planning a youth-led worship service for the congregation
• signing-up youth to participate in congregational worship as ushers or lay readers

Plans times for youth to reflect on the content and meaning of the gospel; designs group reflection on our service; selects and coordinates study topics, special speakers, and meeting leaders.

Our team has the challenge of providing a wide variety of experiences that will help youth wrestle with the critical issues of faith. We will need to maintain a balance among these experiences. Some will be catalysts for growth that will make a difference in the personal lives of our group members. These experiences can also be a catalyst for action that will make a difference in our world. How can our group’s times of study become such catalysts?

We will make use of a planning retreat and survey to generate a number of topics to be addressed in the coming months. Our team will assist and coordinate the efforts of each ministry team as it leads the group in consideration of particular topics. We will want to become familiar with the wide variety of teaching/learning methods that can actively engage young people with the subject.

Some possibilities:

• organize workshops on particular topics such as relationships, communication, divorce recovery, how to pray, etc.
• study and discuss our church’s confession of faith and the meaning of living in a covenant of grace with God and each other.
• prepare times for group reflection on our service/mission projects.
• assess what study topics youth need/want to be addressed