How to Start a Youth Ministry

Starting a youth ministry requires months of planning and recruiting dedicated volunteers, but it can be accomplished with some patience and perseverance. You can start a youth ministry that kids will line up to join.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Approach your clergy and church leadership with your proposal. Take your notes or outline to an administration meeting so that you can articulate your goals. Make sure that they're supportive and address any questions or concerns they might have.
2. Rally adults and parents. For your youth ministry to be effective, you'll need adult volunteers. These adults will act as chaperones for events, drivers, extra hands for activities and fundraisers. Start with the parents of the youth you want involved.
3. Give the youth ownership of their ministry. At your start-up meetings, ask them what they want to get out of the program, when they'd like to meet and have them suggest outings they want to plan. Make your members feel like they're integral to the ministry's planning.
4. Elect officers. Ask your members to nominate and elect candidates for president, vice president, treasurer and secretary just like in any other organization. Serving in these roles teaches them leadership and responsibility. You, of course, will oversee their decisions.
5. Hold parent meetings and planning meetings periodically. You should organize a meeting with parents so that you can hand out a calendar of events. In addition, hold planning meetings with your group leaders to set the details of upcoming activities.
6. Remember the paperwork. Ask all group members to fill out the proper forms. You'll need permission forms signed by guardians and information sheets that include all phone numbers, emergency contacts and medical information.
7. Count every member equally. You may be starting something that draws a huge crowd, or you may have a handful of youth to start. Don't pay much attention to the numbers, and treat all meetings with the same importance.

Tips & Warnings

• When starting a youth ministry, encourage your members to recruit more members by offering rewards for bringing newcomers to meetings.
• Promote your group by giving testimonials during church, hanging fliers and distributing newsletters.
• If you're starting out small, reach out to other area churches so that you can combine activities.

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