3 Smart Ways to Improve Your Youth Ministry Program

Ultimately, the choice to follow Jesus is a personal one. Even if you’re doing everything right, many young people who come to your ministry may decide to walk away from a relationship with God. 

However, there are several steps you can take to create a culture that nourishes strong faith in those attending. Over time, this culture will attract and strengthen young Christians who are serious about their faith. Here are three smart ways to improve your youth ministry program. 

1. Treat Youth Like Adults

Many young people are looking for meaning and purpose in their lives. They want to be taken seriously and treated like adults. Unfortunately, many older adults treat young people as if they are unworthy of trust and respect. 

If you want to create a culture of honor in your youth ministry, you have to start by treating the young people who come with respect. While they may not have as much life experience as you, God looks on each one of them with love. Young people are not the only ones struggling with insecurities and habitual sin. 

Hold the young people in your ministry to a high standard. Remember that in 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul wrote, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

One way to do this is to help young people prepare for the workforce and adult life. Encourage members to organize volunteer activities that require teamwork, good communication, and responsibility. You can also give young people resources to help them choose a future career path.

2. Build Real Relationships

Most people tune out when they listen to a lecture. Even if they’re very interested in the material and it’s presented well, it can be difficult to stay engaged. Although this format can be useful for teaching Biblical history, it’s not the best way to help young people grow in their faith. Information and statistics are too easily forgotten. 

Instead of focusing on lectures, you can strengthen your youth ministry program by reorienting learning around small groups. Divide young adults into groups of three to seven, and have them sit and discuss lesson material every week. Ideally, the people in each group will spend time together outside of church activities. 

Churches across America have adopted the small group model because it’s a more natural way to make disciples. Modern society has moved away from deep community in favor of a fast-paced life. Because of this and other factors, many people are facing life without the community support that is so essential for personal growth and happiness. 

When Jesus was giving the church a model for discipleship, he built personal relationships and lived life with his disciples. This has always been one of the fundamental ways that Christians grow and mature. Close relationships keep people accountable, give them support, and help them “spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10:24)

3. Practice Spiritual Disciplines

Discipline is not a word that many people like to hear, regardless of their age. Most people associate discipline with an unpleasant and painful experience. However, discipline is not the same thing as abuse. Having self-discipline means saying no to something now so that you can say yes to something better later. 

For example, going to bed early means you’re giving up free time in your evening. However, the next day you’ll feel more rested and ready to tackle work. Working out is another example of discipline. Although lifting heavy weights is challenging at first, it will strengthen your body and improve your physical health. 

Discipline can be understood as choosing and setting boundaries in your life in pursuit of a higher goal. Spiritual disciplines, specifically, are practices that help you grow inwardly. These disciplines are found in Scripture and include fasting, prayer, meditating on Scripture, worship, and service, to name a few. 

Teaching young adults how to practice spiritual disciplines will equip them to know God better and develop godly character. Spiritual disciplines are based on the Scriptural principle described in Galatians 6:7, where Paul wrote that “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

Be Patient

In John 15, Jesus compared himself to a vine and his disciples to its branches. He said, “The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit.” Use these steps to teach the young adults in your ministry how to abide in Jesus. Then, it won’t be a question of whether they bear fruit – but rather when, what kind, and how much.