Still, parents have concerns about their student and their spiritual growth. More than 9 in 10 (93%) are at least a little worried their student will become distracted by worldly things. Nine in 10 (90%) have some concern about their student giving into peer pressure. Almost as many (87%) say they have some level of concern about their student focusing on professional growth while neglecting their spiritual growth. Four in 5 (80%) are at least a little concerned their student will feel unsure about their faith.
Additionally, 5 in 6 (85%) say they’re at least a little concerned about their student regularly attending church once they move out. These worries specifically are grounded in a statistical reality. A 2019 Lifeway Research study found two-thirds of those who attended church regularly for at least a year as a teenager say they also dropped out for at least a year as a young adult.
“Church leaders often notice students’ high commitment to sports and extracurriculars and can feel like they compete with church involvement,” said Higgins, co-host of the Youth Ministry Booster podcast. “Without real relationships with families, it’s nearly impossible to have priority conversations that don’t come across as accusatory or speculative. This lack of connection can fuel the perception of conflicting goals, even when the core desires of leaders and parents align.”
Most parents (62%) say they’re equipped to help their student develop spiritually, while 36% feel the opposite. Yet, 94% agree they want to become more equipped for this, and just 5% disagree.
This may be where parents would like help from student pastors. Only 2% say they’re not willing to partner with their church’s student leader to help their student grow spiritually, but 72% say they are open to that partnership. One in 5 (20%) aren’t sure, and 7% say their church doesn’t have a student ministry leader.
Student Leaders’ Standpoint
For their part, student ministry leaders want to partner and work with parents, but many have limited time and feel overwhelmed. Some leaders are full-time staff members, while others serve as volunteers. Lifeway Research surveyed 1,056 people who are either the primary leader of student ministry at their church or a leader who assists with student ministry at their church and is knowledgeable about it.
“Student ministers and other leaders are working hard to create a safe, nurturing environment where students can grow spiritually,” said Higgins. “They’re also seeking true partnership with families, moving beyond a one-size-fits-all discipleship model. Leaders want to communicate where students are and collaborate on the best ways to foster spiritual growth together.”
The average week for a student ministry leader includes a large portion of their time engaged in preparation work alone (11 hours) or with church staff (seven hours). Most other time is invested in the students themselves, including four hours at student ministry activities, two hours with students one-on-one and two hours with students at their extracurricular activities or hanging out. Much less time involves adult volunteers in the ministry (two hours) or parents (one hour).
Still, equipping parents is an area in which student ministry leaders want to improve. When asked what they’d love to see their ministry do more of next year, if they could do it well, leaders often pointed to increased involvement with parents. Around 7 in 10 say they’d want to increase their equipping of parents with tools to disciple their students (70%) and training of parents to disciple their students (67%).
Many also say that if they could do it well, they would love for parents and student leaders to grow in their relationships with each other (46%) and for parents to grow in their relationships with each other (41%). Almost as many leaders say they’d want to improve sharing information with parents to keep them aware of new elements of youth culture (38%).
