A focus on entertainment might get people to come to your youth ministry. But, in the end, we cannot out-entertain the world. We will also set the kids up to look for entertainment as the main measure of what church is rather than help them have a hunger for the word of God above all.

What do you think of when you think of youth ministry? I suppose it depends on what kind of church tradition you are used to. Many think of a high-tempo time of singing, something like a concert. Others think of a series of social activities run each week. There are all kinds of structures, and like with so much other ministry, the structure you choose to use is secondary. What we need to be clear on is what we are trying to accomplish with youth ministry. How will we know if the ministry model we are using is effective if we don’t know what we are trying to do?

Having a successful youth ministry cannot be measured in how many kids come along to whatever is run. We need to think bigger than that. Youth ministry is not really different from ministry to anyone else: churches should aim to make disciples (Matt 28:16-20). We want people to be come to trust in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, and we want those who are already Christians to be growing as disciples of Jesus.

How do we do this most important task? Clearly it is God who changes hearts, not us, so there needs to be prayer involved. As for what we do, we need to make sure that youth ministry teaches the Bible clearly and faithfully to those who come. Whether the youth who come are from Christian backgrounds or from outside the church, they need to know what God is like and how to live as one of God’s people. That requires the Bible.

Read More