I was consulting a church when I heard this all-too-common statement…

“… of course, we lost all of the senior highers.”

Whenever there is a change in church leadership, we face one of the difficult truths of youth ministry; the church inevitably “loses” their juniors and seniors. Sometimes these students simply stop attending the youth ministry; other times they change churches, but many times they stop participating in church completely.

Teenagers are about relationship

In junior high, a teenager is willing to go hang out with EVERYONE! They are exploring the type of people that they will eventually become. By high school, a teenager will selectively trust the people whom they will allow to invest into their lives. Today’s teens have to protect their time because it is a valuable resource, so relationships become deeper and much higher value.

Protect YOUR relationships

Youth pastors who network stay in at their church almost THREE times longer than those who do not have a local network.

A survey of our members found that a youth pastor who is active in a local network averages 9.2 years at a church. The average youth ministry tenure is 2-3 years, which means that a youth worker almost walks a class through high school, but the average student will face a transition in the leadership of his/her ministry.

That student’s trust is broken. A youth worker needs authentic relationship with other youth workers to help navigate ministry issues with a Godly perspective. Ministry is high stress. Short-stay youth ministry causes students to disengage, but a long-term youth worker builds stability and trust. Youth workers who are stable will strategize for the long haul and are more aware that they cannot reach every student with the gospel if they tackle the journey alone.

Ideas for Building Relationships  

Here is where youth ministry needs YOU. Here are some ideas to help you build relationships in your town.

Thank youth workers for their work! Most youth workers hear a LOT of complaints. Take time to thank them.

Introduce your pastoral staff to other pastors and leaders. You know people that other pastors need to meet. Introduce youth pastors to the teachers, principles, coaches, and other professionals that work with teenagers. Don’t hoard resources!

Pray for youth workers. Send them a note and ask them how you can be praying for them specifically. Pray against loneliness and discouragement because they may not tell you about it, but they will experience it.

Share what is going on in youth ministry. Your recommendation can help your youth ministry EXPLODE in growth! Not everything that you share will be a collaborative effort, but you never know, so share with others the events that you are participating in or have heard about.

Bringing Peace to Relationships

I have been struck with Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God.”

We are living in a society that champions division. Disunity is everywhere: politics, denominational debates, racial issues, etc. Lately, I’ve felt the burden that our society need leaders who will lead beyond the hot button issue of the moment and keep others focused on the gospel for the common goal of sharing the Good News together as children of God.

…Because I’m tired of hearing, “we lost all of our senior highers.”

Therefore, we are pursuing long-haul ministry with high-quality meetings that remind youth workers of the importance of their investment. We aren’t in a battle for numbers or popularity, but for the souls of the next generation.