Top 5 Reasons to Get Involved in Youth Ministry
Why Youth Ministry Leaders are Essential
Youth Group, Youth Leaders, and the Importance of Youth Ministry in General
In the twenty-first century church, youth ministry is an important and under-discussed topic. Many churches have a youth pastor and sometimes even another youth ministry leader or two, but generally youth ministry gets relegated to the back burner and does not receive as much support or as many resources from older church members as it should.
As such, it is important that youth ministry is given the support it deserves so that it can be an experience that is not simply fun for youths, but helps students and teenagers to actually grow spiritually into men and women living on mission for Jesus Christ.
In a culture as complicated as the one most teenagers grow up in, having ministries which teach lessons of the hope, love, and truth of Christ are essential.
Indeed, one might even go so far as to say that helping to support youth ministry—which teaches teenagers to worship Christ better and grow spiritually—is the responsibility of every believer, regardless of their age.
1. Engaging Teenagers Early
By engaging middle schoolers and high schoolers in youth ministry, young people are able to begin developing habits of community and fellowship which will serve them well in all areas of life—not least of which being within their local churches.
By cultivating these habits, the next generation of church leaders, world changers, and actively engaged church members is able to be raised up.
2. Providing a Safe Environment and Biblical Truth
Teenagers are in one of the most transformative periods of their lives, as these are the years when most people begin asking complex questions which will go on to shape the people they grow up to be.
By engaging middle and high school students in youth ministry, you offer them a safe environment to ask the questions they have about life, faith, and God, wherein they can hear biblical truth.
3. The Value of Multigenerational Discipleship
The church is meant to be one unified body made up of all believers, and yet oftentimes churches become separated out by age—either intentionally or unintentionally—leading to a lack of connection between believers of different ages.
By engaging with kids through youth ministry, older and more mature believers are able to help mentor and disciple younger believers, benefitting from their newer perspectives as the youth benefit from your many years of experience following God.
The role of youth minister is a big one, but even those who don't feel equipped for that can still get involved with their church's youth group.
4. Helping Youth to Focus Their Attention on Christ
Middle school and high school are the years wherein many people begin to form their identity and in the modern world there are innumerable voices and messages calling for their attention.
This is just another reason why engaging with youth through ministry targeted specifically at them is beneficial, as it can help them to focus their attention on Jesus Christ—the only voice which truly matters, and whose message is more important than any other.
More than anything else you can do, it is pointing them toward Christ through ministry that will make the biggest impact on their lives.
5. Providing Opportunities to Help Them Grow as People
Finally, youth ministry provides opportunities to help them grow as people as they form connections and meaningful relationships with fellow believers who become friends, engage in student-level leadership, learn to not only read the Bible themselves but read God's word well, and consider weighty and important questions which will guide their actions. In this way, ministering to them can help youths to further grow into the men and women God has called them to be.
IWU's Next Youth Ministry Opportunities
This April 4-5, Indiana Wesleyan University will be hosting Fusion, its annual high school youth ministry event. Find out more at indwes.edu/academics/youth-ministry-events/fusion.
The month after Fusion, on May 2-3, IWU will also be hosting the middle school youth ministry event Never2Young, more information for which can be found at indwes.edu/academics/youth-ministry-events/never2young.
