STARTING A

YOUTH
MINISTRY
A 21st century framework to starting a youth
ministry.

DM Arendse

All rights reserved

David Arendse

TABLE OF
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................. 3
DEFINING THE AGE GROUP ............................................................ 4
THEOLOGICAL BASIS FOR SUCH A MINISTRY ................................. 7
WHAT ARE THE KEY DEMANDS ON THOSE IN THIS MINISTRIES ... 10
PHASED IMPLEMENTATION OF FRAMEWORK ................................ 12
Creating a culture of acceptance. .................................................... 13
Identify a group of key influential people form the youth that you can
begin to assign responsibilities to. .................................................. 15
Cast a vision ................................................................................ 16
Make schools a priority .................................................................. 17
Preach the truth unashamedly ........................................................ 18
Build a band as quickly as you can .................................................. 19
CONCLUSION ................................................................................ 20
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................ 21

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INTRODUCTION
It is a strange question this; how do you start a youth ministry? In that without such
a ministry a church runs the very real risk of effectively dying out. Yet even with
the undeniable need to have a vibrant, relevant, as well as, theologically sound
youth ministry, it still is something that all too many churches around the world
battle to have.
There are thousands of theories as to why this is the case, and even more
proposals for those wanting to have a vibrant youth ministry. It is for this reason
that this paper will not seek to set out steps and give a roadmap for you to follow,
instead it is a collection of knowledge that has been accumulated through research
as well as first-hand experience and relationships built over many years with youth
pastors that have seen their ministries flourish.
The problem does not lie in the actual building or starting in the ministry, it starts
in the attitude of the person pioneering it, it is for this reason that as much as this
paper will seek to help those wishing to grow and or start a youth ministry.
In the 21st century, our young people are facing things that people living a
generation ago could not even imagine would exist. Soft porn has become almost
acceptable, and you would be hard pressed to find a popular music video that does
not utilise, excessively, the sexuality of women, and substance abuse is so rife that
we pretend it isnt a problem for fear of seeing the true extent of it. Society has

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forgotten how to respect one another, and as a result we hear, on a daily basis,
the human rights abuses happening all around us. Women are seen as easy
targets and in South Africa there are on average 3 600 women raped every day.
(Nicholson, Zara. 2013)
This is the kind of world the next generation is growing up in. This is the world they
are being exposed to. It is for this very reason that it would seem that never before
in the history of humanity has there been such a pressing and very real need to
bring the light of Christ into the lives of those we see as our future leaders.

DEFINING THE AGE GROUP

So what constitutes a person in youth? Or better yet, how does one define
someone to whom a youth ministry should minister to?
The easy answer is in itself a complex socioeconomic one. For if we simply say
that we want our ministry to follow the age old model, which is highly successful in
churches such as Willow Creek Community Church, GodFirst and Planetshakers,
whereby the youth ministry is set up for those who are currently in high school.
That is that they are in grade 8 to 12.
The problem with such a model is that in South Africa, where we are facing a crisis
in our education, who is to say that we dont end up with a 22 year old, who is in

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grade 12 and attending youth? Is that a problem? Why is it a problem? How does
one deal with such a problem? These are all questions that youth pastors around
the country have been faced with.
Their responses have been varied, however the issue is the same. How can you,
as a youth pastor be ok with a 23 year old attending a youth program where there
are 13 year olds running around. It is a recipe for disaster.
As such the task of defining the age groups is a far more critical issue than one
may want to accept.
There is a movement among churches to split the youth ministry into two separate
ministries, as over the years it has been felt that even having grade 12s of normal
age with grade 8s of normal age it can be inappropriate and contextually irrelevant
to the needs of the given young people.
As such churches such as Hillsong Church, Liberty Church, and Gracepoint
Church, have developed standalone ministries that seek to be age appropriate and
therefore contextually relevant. These ministries are often, but not exclusively, split
as follows; grade 7-9 and then grade 9-12. However within those grade groupings
the expectation is that a person is the age they would normally be at that point in
their education. Otherwise, as is the case with Gracepoint Church, the groupings
are done by age first; meaning that the ministries are broken down as follows; age

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11 13 and age 14 19. While still taking into consideration the educational phase
that a person may find themselves in at a given age.
Needless to say the definition of what constitutes a youth ministry is one that needs
to take into account the context the leader finds the ministry in. it is pointless to
force upon a community one given model if it is clear that it is irrelevant and
therefore unsuitable for that given context. However having said that it is as foolish
to attempt to begin something without some sort of plan to work from.
Andy Stanley has said, and in many respects it is true;
As a leader it is your job to protect the missional integrity of the Jesus
gathering to which you have been called. It is your responsibility to see
to it that the church under your care continues as a gathering of people
in process; a place where the curious, the unconvinced, the sceptical,
the used-to-believe and the broken, as well as the committed, informed
and sold-out come together around Peter's declaration that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of the living God. (Stanley, A 2012:32)

Ultimately the ability to define the definition of what the age group will be for a given
youth ministry needs to be developed from the needs of the given community.
However it is important to keep the following key points in mind when doing so:

Is it relevant?

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All too many youth pastors have come along and gone and left destruction in their
wake. This is because they may have had all the best intentions and desires, but
their model was irrelevant to the given context. Not every youth group will look and
feel like Hillsong United, nor should the desired outcome be that.
-

Is it appropriate?

Some cultures are ok with allowing 13 year old girls to interact with 19 year old
boys, while others are not. It is important to note what is and is not appropriate in
the given context. Be conscious of the effects of what your ministry will have on
those that come in contact with it.
-

Is it necessary?

Sometimes it is just not a crucial need to build a youth ministry, after all what is the
purpose of youth ministry? Surely it is to prepare young people for adult church?
If that is the case, and young people are flocking to the adult service then perhaps
a full blown youth ministry could do more harm than good.

THEOLOGICAL BASIS FOR SUCH A MINISTRY

Perhaps not always a question that is readily asked in a churches hast to develop
a youth ministry, but one that is nonetheless imperative before setting out on
anything. Is to ask what the Biblical grounds are for such a ministry.

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If we look at the early church as found in the book of Acts, we do not see any form
of age specific ministries. This causes some people to question the reason for age
specific ministries in our churches today.
However it would be incredibly naive to simply look at Acts (Acts 2) and on that
basis dismiss the need for age specific ministries based on the lack of evidence of
such ministries at that time. The reason for that is that any good theologian will
know the process of exegesis. That is, to seek the deeper meaning of a piece of
scripture to unlock the truths that are perhaps not immediately visible. One of the
key aspects of a good exegesis is the ability to view the context of a given piece
of scripture. This same principle can be used to see the reasons for a lack of a
pumping youth ministry following the Apostle Paul on his travels.
When one looks at the early church it is important to see the context of the culture
that is present. Education is not something that has taken centre stage as
something that is important, and children are only viewed as such until they turn
13. From that point on they are seen as adults and have all the expectations and
responsibilities of an adult. As such there is a very real possibility that many of the
members of the early church were young people. We see evidence of young
leaders taking centre stage. Again a sign of the cultural context. Whereby Paul is
writing to Timothy (1 & 2 Timothy) as well as Titus (Titus), who were young leaders
of the church at the time. Encouraging them to not let those around them look down

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on them because they were young. In order to fully appreciate those statements
we need to realise that they were more than likely in their mid to late teens for them
to have been seen or classified as young.
What we therefore see is that there is not a biblical model as such for a youth
ministry, however there are examples of God equipping and calling young people
throughout the Bible, to be His hands and feet.
Age specific ministries are in actual fact the outcome of the industrial revolution.
Where, for the first time in human history, children were identified as children, and
the need to nurture and grow their minds become more important that putting them
to work in the mines or family businesses. As a result of this shift in mind set, so
too did the church begin to see a need to minister to these young minds in a way
that spoke to them from where they were and not as if they were adults.
In the 21st century young people have taken centre stage. Advertising companies
focus directly on them, music sings directly to them, technology is built to attract
them, everything, it would seem is directed at engaging with the youth of society.
This is because the world has identified the power of young people. That in order
for your product to survive and continue to grow it must be attractive and viewed
as relevant to the next generation. The same can be said for the church, it is
imperative that we as the church continue to build ministries and ultimately
churches that are able to speak into the lives of those around us.

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WHAT ARE THE KEY DEMANDS ON THOSE IN THIS

MINISTRIES
Those that find themselves in a youth ministry in the 21st century are faced with a
plethora of demands. While the list of these demands is exhaustive and expansive,
it is unrealistic and counter-productive to list each and every demand facing those
that attend youth ministries. Instead what needs to be at the forefront of any person
running a youth specific ministry is the needs of the people within their ministry?
Ultimately, no matter where you find yourself in ministry, or in what context there
are a few key demands that will be the same or roughly so throughout. These are
the aspects that need to be remembered while ensuring the message coming from
the ministry is one that is in touch with the issues of the local community. These
generic key demands are:
-

The fear of rejection.

Every single person, never mind young people, are in some way or form afraid of
being rejected. We build empires to make us feel secure, and pursue corporate
success to mask our insecurities, the same can be said of those that are in our
youth ministries. They will, at times say and/or do anything for fear of being
rejected.

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A youth ministry needs to speak directly into those situations, as well as offer a
place of hope and acceptance to all that enter it.
-

A lack of purpose for ones life.

Often a silent, but yet still very real issue facing young people. In a world of such
high demands and expectations it is not uncommon to see young people reach
breaking points where they simply rebel against all that they have known and
recluse into their corners. The simple question of why am I here is one that young
people are faced with.
Youth ministries need to be aware of the demands on young people today, and be
able to offer fresh air in an otherwise chaotic and claustrophobic environment.
-

A transformative relationship with Jesus Christ.

No youth ministry is a ministry without the need to introduce Jesus into the lives of
those it ministers to as their Lord and Saviour. Ultimately that is what we are
seeking to do, and if we are not then one needs to question the role of the ministry
all together. Every person on the Earth needs Jesus, and of the ministry is not sold
out on the mandate to do that there is a very real problem.
(Muellar, W. 2006:45, Vukich, L. 2002:87, YCI 2009)

There will always be demands on those that are present in youth ministries, and
Chase Gardner (Youth pastor at Rivers Church, Sandton) over coffee put it best.

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When we stop looking for problems to solve and begin to focus on the
real issue at hand, that is, the very real need of Jesus in the lives of
those around us, we will begin to truly appreciate the role that Jesus
can and does have in our ministries. We are not here to fix every issue,
instead we are called to be a refuge for the broken. A place where
anyone can come and be accepted, and ultimately a place where Christ
is introduced to every person. (Gardner, Chase. 2014)

PHASED IMPLEMENTATION OF FRAMEWORK

Now that we have explored the needs of the youth as well as the reasons for having
a youth ministry, how does one introduce a sustainable model into the life of a
medium sized church? So often we look to these meg-churches for inspiration but
these mega churches have mega budgets and so what they are doing for their
youth ministries is out of the reach of the medium sized churches on the ground.
The truth is that it is not so much about the program of the youth ministry as so
much as it is about the intention of the ministry. What does that mean? If you set
out to be another Planetboom or Hillsong Youth you will ultimately in all likelihood
come up short, not by a lack of energy or desire, but by a lack of resources and
funding. Those types of ministries requires sums of money that most local
churches dont even generate for themselves as a whole, let alone as money to
spend on youth ministries.

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The mark of a great youth pastor is not how amazing or incredible their program
is, or how world-class the production is, instead, the mark of a great youth pastor,
and leader for that matter, is how many leaders they have equipped.
The focus, therefore, needs to be on the individual and the purpose for starting a
ministry in the first place. If we look at the key needs of young people today, there
are some fairly obvious starting points for any youth ministry wishing to start
something.
Every young person wants to feel they belong. There is a very real fear in all of us
of rejection and of being alone. It is what drives us and focuses us, what influences
our decision making and ultimately what will cause a young person to stay or leave
a youth ministry.
As such the first key element in a successful youth ministry is to, from the very
beginning, create a culture of acceptance.

Creating a culture of acceptance.

That is not some philosophical or fake acceptance but rather a very real ad genuine
culture whereby whoever walks through the doors is not swamped because they
are new and because we must greet them, but instead is drawn to the sense of
community that is so evident it is tangible. Ultimately it is this culture that will bring

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and keep young people at a youth ministry, right from the beginning when it is small
to when it is large. It is this sense of belonging and community that will create an
expectation in young people and a desire to come back.
It is imperative that you remember that a church will never compete with the world,
and nor is it the role of the church to do so, on production and theatrical value. As
such, the club down the road is always going to be bigger and better than your
youth group, no matter how many lights or fancy pieces of equipment you have.
The reality is that they are not coming because it looks cool or is put on well, they
are coming because a friend brought them, and ultimately they are seeking a place
to belong.
Remember, as well, at this stage, that it is imperative that you include the parents
in the process of starting and running a youth ministry. It is not your role to replace
a parent, instead it is your role to partner with them. As such as much as its
important to create a culture of acceptance among your young people, it is as
important to create a culture of acceptance between teens and their parents and
the roles they play in each others lives.

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Identify a group of key influential people form the youth that

you can begin to assign responsibilities to.
The more you make the youth ministry about the youth, for the youth and by the
youth, the more your role will become easier and easier in terms of keeping it
relevant and real. As a youth pastor your role is to ensure that it is spiritually sound
and on track, but let the youth run the ministry and interpret your vision for you.
After all a sense of ownership will cause those in your youth ministry to begin to
see it as their own ministry, one they can be proud of and want to show their
friends. Instead of it being a youth ministry they attend and you trying to get them
excited about it. Barna and Fields give examples of how best to identify such
leaders in their respective books (Barna, G 2003 & Fields, D. 2002), ultimately it is
up to the discernment of the leader to identify who they feel fits into their leadership
model. However do not be afraid to approach those that seem to be the trouble
makers as they often have the potential to be your greatest leaders.
Harness the power and energy of the youth by empowering them to run it, allow
your role to slowly but surely become a purely pastoral one, as the young people
themselves take ownership of the ministry.

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Cast a vision
Not every leader is a visionary, however it is important that you develop a clear
roadmap as to the direction that you feel the youth ministry needs to go in. without
a clear vision you are unable to create a sense of expectation among the youth
you engage with, and you will find it even harder to find leaders that are willing to
partner with you. Dream big, but keep it attainable. You will want to have a big
outcome but you will need to have clear steps and attainable dreams and goals.
Another clear advantage of having a clear vision is that you are able to always
come back to it, and check yourself and the decisions you are making against it. A
vision for a ministry is something that is built from a God given inspiration and not
from ourselves. After all the ministry is there purely to bring people to a saving
knowledge of Christ. Therefore any vision for the ministry must be binding, but
more than that, it must be God honouring.
Write your vision in ink; everything else should be pencilled in. Plans
change. Vision remains the same. It is natural to assume that what
worked in the past will always work. But, of course, that way of thinking
is lethal. And the longer it goes unchallenged, the more difficult it is to
identify and eradicate. Every innovation has an expiration date. The
primary reason churches cling to outdated models and programs is that
they lack leadership. (Stanley, A. 2012: 34)

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Make schools a priority

All too often youth pastors sit in their buildings waiting for young people to
magically come to them. The days of people coming to church just because are
long time over. It is the responsibility of the youth pastor to be out in the community
attracting people to the ministry ad ultimately God.
What better way to make inroads in a community than through the local schools.
At any given high school in an urban area there are anything between 800 and
2000 young people within those walls. Thats more than most churches in SA
today, in one building. Yet we do not take advantage of these places for fear of
rejection.
Get into the high school, if you cant preach, then coach or teach, get to know the
youth from where they are at. See them in their everyday environments, and
perhaps in doing so they will begin to trust you enough to allow you to speak into
their lives.
There is not a single large youth ministry that is not built on the backs of a relevant
and engaging high school ministry program.
At youth week Rob Mallan, who was the guest speaker at the camp, from Christian
Family Church, Tampa Florida, gave his experience and insight from his years as
a youth pastor. He was saying that he couldnt dream of running a youth ministry

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without being involved in schools in the area. It is in, his words, like jumping with
no parachute (Mallan, R. 2014)

Preach the truth unashamedly

Do not sugar coat the Gospel, that is not your role, and in doing so you are selling
half a message. Do not be ashamed of what the Gospel is, if you are, get out now.
The reality is that young people are not afraid of the truth, in fact they are drawn to
it. In Johannesburg, there is currently a youth ministry that is growing at an
exponential rate. In two years of existence they have gone from not existing to
having two campuses with on average 150 people attending weekly. That is bigger
than most churches around Johannesburg, let alone their youth groups.
God honours pure motives, and the more you check yours, the stronger
your leadership and decision-making will be. If your motives are pure,
youll persevere, reproduce student ministers, be productive, and
contribute effectively. (Fields, D. 2002:24)

They do not play games, they do not have ice-breakers, and they dont make
people feel awkward. Instead they focus on building community, but more than
that, they believe unashamedly that they must preach the Gospel. That means that
they have 20 minute sermons on issues facing young people today. What I am

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saying is that it is ok to have a youth ministry where the Gospel is preached. In

fact, if this case study is anything to go by, young people actually crave such
preaching. (GodFirst youth ministry, called G1 Core. Youth pastor: Glen
Campbell).

Build a band as quickly as you can

This is not an absolute imperative, but young people are drawn by music, and if
you are able to have a live band, of young people, playing and leading worship,
young people will be more inclined to come than if you were using a DVD for
example.
It is not always easy to build a youth band, and not every church will have the
resources for it, but if you are able to, then it needs to be an early priority.
People know of Hillsong United and Young and Free not because they are
amazing youth ministries or because the preaching is amazing, instead every
young Christian wants to experience those ministries because they have heard
their albums and so believe that the ministries must be amazing.
Music is an incredible thing, and the sooner you are able to harness it the better
it will be for your ministry. (Jood, F. 2014)

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CONCLUSION
Starting a youth ministry is not something to be taken likely. It requires hours of
dedication, and a heart that is willing to go the extra mile. It is not easy, and you
will not see the fruits of your labour immediately. However when one of the people
that has grown up in your youth ministry stands up and preaches to their peers,
there is a sense of accomplishment not because you as a person have achieved
anything, because it is never about you, but because right before your eyes you
are seeing God working in the life of someone else, and you were able to have
some small part to play in that.
This is a world that is broken, there is very little light to be found in it, in fact
according to Matthew 5:12 it is the church that needs to be the light to the world.
Through Christ it is the church that keeps that darkness at bay. There is no better
time than the present to be more passionate about young people.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Banks, S. 1999. Ethical Issues in Youth Work. Routledge: New York
Fields, D. 2002. Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry: A Personal and Practical
Guide to Starting Right. Grand Rapids: Zondervan
Nicholson, Z. 2013. Up to 3 600 rapes in SA every day. IOL News, 8 February
2013, accessed 3 April 2014, http://www.iol.co.za/news/crime-courts/up-to-3-600rapes-in-sa-every-day-1.1466429#.U0vc4PmSxYg.
Harding, J. 2004. Making it Work: The keys to success for young people living
independently. The Policy Press: Great Britain
Muellar, W. 2006. Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture: Bridging Teen Worldviews
and Christian Truth. InterVarsity Press: Illinois
Glenn, M. 2009. In Real Time: Authentic Young Adult Ministry as it Happens.
Broadman & Holman.
Barna, G. 2003. Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions Why Children
should be your Churchs top priority. Regal Books
Vukich, L. 2002. Timeless Youth Ministry: A Handbook for successfully reaching
todays youth. Zondervan Publishing; New York

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YCI.

2009.

Our

Approach

to

Youth

Development.

[Online]

Available.

http://www.yci.org/html/what/
Stanley, A. 2012. Deep & Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to
Attend.
Mallan, R. 2014. Interview Conducted on January 13, 2014. [Personal
Communication]
Campbell, G. 2014. Interview conducted on February 7, 2014. [Personal
Communication]
Gardner, C. 2014. Interview conducted on February 12, 2014. [Personal
Communication]
Jood, F. 2014. Interview conducted on March 18, 2014. [Personal Communication]

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