Passing the plant  

Evaluate your current youth ministry

  • How do I know if the youth ministry program at my church is effective?

    Before you can hire a youth minister, write a job description, you and your vestry and search committee if one has already been formed, need to sit down and imagine the ideal youth ministry for your church. 

Select a group of people you know and trust to have good input for youth ministry.  Not all parents will fall into this category. Too often parents want you to sort of “fix” their kid, and such unrealistic expectations will not be helpful to the process.

If you haven’t identified a A Model for a Process of Discipleshipprocess of discipleship at your church yet, now is a good time to do that.  A process of discipleship is a means of thinking about how people become authentic disciples who in turn are capable of making disciples, and thus fulfilling what we as the church have been charged to do in the Great Commission. 

Ask questions about your ideal youth group such as: What does it look like?  What have the kids coming out of it been exposed to and taught?  What is your overarching goal/objective?

Ask how your current program lines up with the process of discipleship at your church. Are each of the program components focused on moving your students along the process to become disciples who will one day make disciples? If not, change them or eliminate them.

When it comes to programming, less is definately more. Better to have one excellent program weekly than to have many that are haphazardly put together. Ask "why do we have this program?" If the first answer is, "we've always had this program" that's one that can probably be either eliminated or redesigned.

Remember that programs are tools. You don't use a screwdriver to do the job of a wrench. Likewise, programs are only as good as their fit with the job they are intended for. If you need a wrench, put down the screwdriver and find a wrench. It's okay to switch tools.

Youth Home | Episcopal Diocese of TN Home | Contact
50 Vantage Way Suite 107 Nashville TN 37228
615-251-3322 phone 615-251-8010 fax
anna.howard@episcopaldiocese-tn.org