This document provides guidance on developing a sustainable youth ministry program. It addresses common challenges such as underinvestment, questions of capacity, and political influences. It emphasizes that youth ministry is the responsibility of the entire congregation, not just specialists. The document offers tips for developing control documents, statements of purpose, and long-term plans. It stresses the importance of emotional health, accountability, and spiritual practices for youth workers. Effective volunteer recruitment involves identifying needs, strategic placement, and relationship building. A sustainable approach focuses on long-term goals, shared responsibility, and working according to a phased plan.

1. Sponsored by the MidAmerica Region:
Prairie Star, Central Midwest & Heartland
Districts
Nancy Combs-Morgan & Dori Thexton

3.  Can you just give us some good ideas?
 Can you keep our youth ministry from failing?
 Do you understand how different we are?
 Will you help my congregation understand it’s
not just about the numbers?
 Can you keep the politics away from youth
ministry?

4.  Steeple chasing
 Underinvestment
 Mis-investment
 Questions of capacity:
o Budget $1,000
minimum per youth
o One full-time staff for
every 50 youth
o One adult for every
five youth

5.  One youth staff can
handle it.
 Wallpaper vs. concrete
 “We’ll never hire from
within our church”
 With a new youth
director, our
volunteers won’t have
to work so hard.

7.  Control documents –
annual events
calendar, job
descriptions, master
recruiting
list, curriculum template
 Youth ministry
mission/vision statement
 3 year plan
 Statement of values

8.  Emotional health –
appropriate
boundaries, intentional
spiritual
practices, accountable
relationships
 Balcony time; three
kinds of meetings; the
value of “third pig” youth
workers

9. Youth ministry is the
congregation’s
ministry, not just that of
specialists who can
relate to teenagers. The
mandate to BE THERE
for young people
belongs to the whole
faith community.
Kenda Creasy Dean

10.  Teams are crucial to
the long-term success
of youth ministry.
 The first step of calling
volunteers is the
hardest.
 Blanket appeals and
mass announcements
don’t work!

11. Start early – at least 6 months before volunteer
term begins
Identify your needs – RE
teachers, advisors, event
leaders/organizers, planning committee
members, small group leaders
Be strategic in recruiting – don’t ask an “A”
player to do a “C” level job
Develop master recruiting list for future use
Start smiling and dialing!

13. Sustainable Approach
Traditional Approach
 Long-term focus on
o Episodic focus,
single issue
 Responsibility shared by
a team
 Regular meetings – 3
kinds of meetings
 Working a plan
disconnected meetings
o Responsibility carried by
the youth staffperson
o Concerns raised
randomly and reactively
o Expectation of quick fix;
reacting to anxiousness

14. Stage 1: Creating
blueprint & preparing
for the process
Stage 2: Laying the
foundation
Stage 3: Beginning to
build
Stage 4: Framing the
second floor