Youth Empowered

“The millennials are leaving the church in droves!”

In recent years, this statement is being heard at an increasing rate. While that claim sounds alarming, data shows that it is true now more than ever. The Pew Forum, a research center on religion and public life, has shown a steady decrease in the percentage of millennials affiliating with the Christian faith ever since the generation has become old enough to be recognized as its own age group. In the religious affiliation report, which was published in 2019, data showed that the percentage of millennials who have chosen to separate themselves from the Christian faith is higher than all of the other age groups—combined. Due to this rate of decline, which could take decades to turn around, youth ministry is quickly becoming one of the most pertinent ministries for churches to increase its focus on.

While such data appears to hint at doom and gloom for the future church, it does not have to be so; we can interpret it differently. We are shocked when our youth leave the church. However, do we stop patronizing a restaurant if we believe that its food is no longer enjoyable? Do we vote for a political candidate if we don’t believe that they represent the values and needs that are important to our families? Perhaps the current youth exodus is not the death knell of the church. Instead, it is merely the voice of our youth speaking out. They are proclaiming their frustration toward a church that has—in their opinion—been unable to compete in the post-modern marketplace of ideas.

Nevertheless, we are encouraged to keep fighting the good fight. As believers in Jesus Christ, we can stand firm on two key convictions. First, the Christian faith is more relevant today than it has ever been. Second, our God is bigger than the secularization of the Western church. Thus, we must come to the table with a new approach for our youth. They are telling us—loud and clear—that what we have been doing for the past ten years is no longer working.

Undoubtedly, you have recognized these trends, as well. I applaud you for noticing the dire need for change during such a pivotal time in the church. You may have picked up this book because you are looking for a different youth ministry framework—one that is bold, attractive, winsome and effective. This book proposes that a student-led youth ministry satisfies this framework. The vision of a student-led youth ministry dares to imagine a youth ministry where the majority of its operations are handled by students. In a student-led youth ministry, the youth pastor and their fellow youth leaders guide and minister to the students from among the crowd, rather than at the crowd. Instead of applauding the occasional student who shows potential signs of full-time ministry in their future, a student-led youth ministry approaches the audacious concept that all youth can become actively involved in their church, in some form or fashion, at their current age. While we will certainly unpack all of the details surrounding this proposal, we must first tackle the concept of why student-led youth ministry is vital.

Going back to the ‘80s, much of student ministry has been events-based and focused on building friendships through programs. Since students didn’t interact with a large number of other students outside of school and sports, youth ministry events-based programming helped fill the gap. However, in today’s information age, the events-based student ministry that thrived in the ‘80s and ‘90s has quickly lost its appeal. Students are bored with a constant barrage of icebreakers and overnight lock-ins. While those things are not bad, students interact with a significantly larger number of peers on a daily basis due to social media. Today, there is no longer a need to attend an event at church in order to feel connected to peers. Slowly, the church is coming to the realization that events-based programming is no longer enough. We must accept the reality that the demands of today’s youth ministry have vastly shifted away from what youth pastors once enjoyed and experienced during their formative years as a student.

We are now being called to build a ministry for tomorrow instead of reacting to the youth ministry needs of today. With the culture changing at such a rapid pace, the system must be scalable, adaptable and moldable on the fly. The days of church staff-powered ministry are quickly becoming extinct, and the new age of crowdsourcing-powered ministry is on the horizon. Indeed, we are now at a pivotal point in this shift of ministry mindset, where such a radical proposal will be met with large resistance from those who have been in ministry for decades. The former tried and true methods of staff-driven marketing, evangelism and teaching are all safe. It’s a numbers game, after all, right? Preach to one hundred; baptize a few. Pay a few hundred dollars for some Twitter ads and Facebook ads; welcome a few new families. Tried. Tested. True. However, if only we could understand the power of the youth and the future landscape of ministry, these numbers would be realized as unsatisfyingly mediocre. The methods of 20th century youth ministry are now inadequate, and our current administrators and church leaders need to come to terms with the fact that we must change our youth ministry in order to change our youth ministry.