More Tips to Improve Your Youth Ministry
5. Borrow great ideas from great websites.
I think of Jonathan McKee’s The Source For Youth Ministry, Doug Fields’ Download Youth Ministry and YouthMinistry.com, to name a few. So many great websites provide practical how to’s, game ideas, lesson outlines, inspiring articles, etc. That takes the guesswork out of youth ministry so you can focus on being the best leader possible and build the best program possible.
6. Invest your life in the few.
This is something we can’t help but learn from the life of Jesus. He programmed for the many but invested in the few. Jesus’ main focus wasn’t the pizzazz of miracles but the intensive personal training of the disciples.
Another way to think of this is that Jesus played favorites in his ministry. Out of the crowd of thousands, he invested in 72 personally (Luke 10:1-11).
Jesus played favorites. He invested his life in those who were willing to go the furthest, farthest and deepest. If he did, then we should. So focus on pouring your life into students and adults who will have the highest spiritual yield.
Love everyone. Minister to all. But pour your life into the few.
7. Create a storytelling culture.
Stories are fodder for revival. They have accompanied every great spiritual awakening. And great stories breed even more stories. When teenagers are sharing their faith, they also want to share their stories. When teenagers are growing deeper in Christ, they want to let others know.
So program some time for storytelling into your youth meetings and small groups. Encourage kids to go do something that’s story-worthy. Once this catches hold, it will create an unstoppable spiritual momentum in your youth group. It will turn your ministry from theoretical to practical in an emotionally engaging way.
I think of Mr. Bill in Castle Rock, Colorado. He’s a youth leader and one of our Dare 2 Share Certified Trainers. Every week, he leaves time at the end of youth group for teens to come ring the bell (yes, a literal bell!). Then these teens tell the story of someone they’ve reached or are seeking to reach with the hope of Jesus Christ.
During this weekly storytelling time, kids share many powerful stories, shed tears and make prayer requests. As a result, the momentum in Mr. Bill’s youth ministry is palpable. One of the biggest reasons? He’s taken time to build a storytelling culture and implemented a simple strategy (ringing the bell) to support it!
What are some other simple ways to vastly improve your youth ministry program?
