This seems to be the cry when a report is published bemoaning the poor performance of school students.
Only the other day when mathematics was said to be poorly taught, the solution was for children to recite their tables.
All the publicity encouraged me to think about the basics of youth ministry. What are the non-negotiables of what we do? The one we would immediately state is that our ministry should be Bible-based and be centred on clear and applied biblical teaching. I sometimes wonder if our passion to do this lessens the level of application in our teaching. If Bible teaching is a given, what else could be added?
1. Every church community has youth on its agenda
With numbers of attending young people still on the decline, it would be good to see every church involved in some way. Some may argue that their congregation has an average age of over 60. But there are still young people in their local community, hanging around their street corners, going to local activities. Even if their church makes no contact, they could be prayed for – maybe pray that someone would make contact with them. If their church resembles a castle with the drawbridge raised, it is unlikely to make any inroads, but for a small group to begin praying for the local school may yield some surprises.
2. Every youth leader is supported.
I have come across several ‘lone rangers’ in recent days. Has nobody suggested that the volunteer youth worker doing a busy nine to five job and giving up an evening to be with young people might appreciate it if someone asked how (s)he was doing. You can structure this a little more by encouraging a home group to adopt a Sunday school or youth leader.
When I was fully involved in youth ministry I really appreciated a meal with a member of the congregation.
3. Every church leadership team has youth on the agenda regularly
There are dangers that once you’ve got youth ministry sorted out you can let it tick over. Youth ministry must be integrated into the life of the church – that means it must be talked about and planned for.
Your youth ministry may not be dealing with huge numbers, but even if you have a small number their integration into church life must be planned. It is not a sideshow – youth ministry is part of the main event.
4. If you have a ‘full-time’ youth minister (s)he is properly supervised.
Realistic job descriptions would be a good start and setting realistic goals would be another blessing.
Being sure that your leader has both a support group and a mentor; it may mean that they last a little longer.
5. Prayer happens.
People love to say things like ‘the church that prays together stays together’ but prayer meeting ratios are often not encouraging. It is not uncommon to find a church with over 1000 Sunday attenders with under 100 meeting in a monthly prayer meeting. When I was in Sheffield, there was a prayer meeting every Wednesday and over 30 minutes was given to praying for church activities (including youth and children).
It may be valuable to look at your church’s non-negotiables and decide whether they are happening.
