Strategies for Building 21st Century Youth Ministry

Introduction: Hello, I am Pastor Mike, The Youth and Young Adult Pastor of Gethsemane Community Fellowship Baptist Church.

I am very excited to have each and every one of you here.

I am 25 Years old and I have been Leading in Youth Ministry since I was 13 years old.

Started off playing the drums and being on the leadership teams of one of the Largest churches in Monroe.

at 18 years old, I felt the Call of God on my life. I accepted my call in May of 2015, and have been working every since.

I’ve done youth and young adult ministry on all levels,

I. I did it at my dad’s church for a number of years

I also did it on the campus of Grambling State University as Campus champlain.

I love youth Ministry.

I LOVE YOUTH MINISTRY.

I LOVE YOUTH MINISTRY.

AND I BELIEVE THAT THE YOUTH ARE THE HEART BEAT OF THE CHURCH, IF THERE’S NO HEARTBEAT, THERE’S NO LIFE.

So the question is asked, what strategies are used that makes a youth ministry More effective in the 21st century?

My goal is to answer this question in the time that we share together.

Before we go into strategies, I want to go into motives. Before we strategize,

WE HAVE TO ASK PURPOSE.

WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE?

I want to ask you firstly, WHY ARE YOU IN YOUTH MINISTRY? (DISCUSS)

THE REASON I’M IN YOUTH MINISTRY IS BECAUSE

I AM IN YOUTH MINISTRY BECAUSE

Youth ministry KEEPS THE CHILDREN ALIVE- YOUR YOUTH MINISTRY NEEDS TO BE A SAFE PLACE AND SAFE SPACE THAT OUR YOUTH CAN COME TO, THAT BUILDS THEM UP

2. YOUTH MINISTRY KEEPS THE CHURCH ALIVE.- Everyone wanted to be a Sr. pastor, but in everyone’s church, I reaize that there are no youth?

if everyone in the church is over 50 or 60 and there’s no one in there under 30 then there is work that needs to be done.

WE NEED THE YOUTH.

ONCE WE UNDERSTAND OUR PURPOSE,

WE NEED TO KNOW THE PURPOSE OF YOUTH MINISTRY.

WHY IS THIS YOUTH MINISTRY AT THIS CHURCH?

What does effective mean to you?

Some think that a relevant youth ministry means an effective youth ministry.

Your youth ministry effectivity is MEASURED on your RELEVANCY.

BECAUSE YOU CAN BE RELEVANT AND INEFFECTIVE

YOUR YOUTH MINISTRY’S EFFECTIVITY IS IS MEASURED BY WHAT YOUR PURPOSE IS.

Relevance is only a conduit to drive your ministry’s purpose.

The overall GOAL Youth Ministry is “Matthew 28:16-20

Matthew 28:16–20 KJV 1900

16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Does your YOUTH MINISTRY BRING YOUTH TO CHRIST?

PROGRAMS ARE GOOD BUT PROGRAMS WITH NO PURPOSE CAN BE POISONOUS.

Now that we’ve talked Purpose, let’s talk strategy!

How will we get from where we are to where God wants us to go.

Examination

This may be a hard conversation. We want to do an autopsy on where the ministry is.

Some call it the Start, Stop, continue method.

What do we need to start?- what programs can we do that will help us get to purpose?

What do we need to stop?- be okay with it not working! Be honest!

When God stops a thing it may be because he’s trying to start a thing

Continue- what have we been doing that work? Let’s keep doing that

Experimentation

This is scary. But do not be afraid to experiment. There is NO ONE WAY TO DO YOUTH MINISTRY.

Youth ministry is a never ending cycle of experimenting- because the world continues to change, so does does your youth ministry.

IF IT DOESN’T WORK, stop it, but you’ll never know until it starts!

Innovation- DO A NEW THING!

We don’t need to find out how to minister in the 21st century!

We need to figure out what works POST COVID!

What worked 2 years ago may not work now!

One of the killers of innovation is nostalgia

We try to feel that feeling again. When that feeling was for THAT TIME!

We have to learn that God is bigger than one event!

To do that event that gets that feeling is putting God in the box.

“BEFORE COVID WE USED TO….”

God is saying what about now!

BEHOLD I do a new thing!

What does a NEW Easter look like

What does a new bible study look like

Organization- believe it or not, what attracts students, leaders, and people are systems

Think EARLY

PLAN EARLY

60 days at least

We shouldn’t be planning Christmas plays in NOVEMBER!

The whole school year is planned out in the beginning!

Set GOALS!

How many students do you want to touch? How many people we want to come to Christ?

How many parents will we reach?

Set SCARY goals (tell Steve Harvey story)

Implementation-

Strategy with out implementation leads to devastation.

What’s the point of God giving us all of this material and we not using it

THE FOLLOW UP IS REAL❗️❗️❗️❗️

Put your ideas to work

Celebration- CELEBRATE SMALL VICTORS

1 soul gave their life to Christ

1 person joined

1 leader

1 follower

Focus on the ONE

Now that we have talked strategy!

Let’s talk team members

Engage and include-

Workers want to see you work!

Work ethic is contagious

You are only as strong as your weakest link

workers want to feel included. Make sure everyone has something to do.

Equip-

give the necessary tools that are needed for said tasks

Give them everything they need to get to work

Encourage-

YOU MINISTRY IS HARD

let Me know that I can do the Job

Celebrate small victories

Good job goes a long way

Lastly, let’s talk about the needs of the STUDENTS

The students need

Truth- what does the Bible say?

Transparency- DID YOU GO THROUGH THIS??

TRUST- do you have my back?

Intentionality is key!

Your people need to know YOU CARE

Workers