You may not have realized it, but there is a vibrant debate concerning youth ministry.  On the one end, some people believe there is a greater need for youth ministry to stop the growing secularization of our kids.  On the other side of the debate, there are families abandoning the youth ministry seeing it as intrusive and problematic.

Acknowledging that there can be some benefit to having a ministry to a particular group within the church (Acts 6:1, Titus 2:3-4), the challenge to us is to consider the role of youth ministry in our churches.

From my perspective, there is a need for youth ministry to:

Teach parents to disciple and love their children.  The goal of youth ministry should be to support the ministry parents have to their own children.  Parents are needed long after the child leaves the youth ministry department.  Youth ministry is for a season, but parents are for a lifetime.  By helping parents to become more effective, you are investing in the long term spiritual health of the youth.

Integrate with the entire congregation.  The greatest downfall of youth ministry is that they tend to segregate the youth from the entire congregation.  This often leads to an unhealthy subculture within the church.  By integrating youth with the rest of the congregation, the youth ministry will help ground the children into the entire church community.  They will begin to see important moments in life and how saints handle these situations.  Youth will see the 80 year old faithful Christian as he struggles with health but faithfully serves his God till his dying breath.  They will see the real struggles of life of a new mother trying to juggle sleep, family, and caring for the child. Every moment in life can help the youth see their Christian faith lived out in the life of the church.  They will begin to see the Christian faith as fully integrated in all of life and in death.

Understand healthy Biblical evangelism.  Much of the evangelism occurring in youth groups is nothing more than emotionalism wrapped in emotional appeals.  Too often, this type of evangelism will result in hyped-up “decisions.”  Youth need to understand the nature of the Gospel, the impact of the Gospel, and the way to convey it Biblically to others.

Grow up. The goal of youth ministry is not to appeal to the Youth culture, but to point people to being mature spiritually, emotionally, and socially.  Instead of perpetuating a continual culture of immaturity, youth ministry should point people to the Biblical understanding of sanctification.

Teach solid Biblical Theology.  Kids do not want to be entertained to death, they want to see that their faith is more than on a surface level.  Yes, you can attract crowds with entertainment, but you will develop disciples with teaching solid theology.

As a church, we should be uniting together with each other, focused on the Word of God, engaged in the sanctification process, and lovingly living together as a congregation.  Youth ministry has a place in the church, but only if it is working with parents, bringing the church together, and has a foundation of solid theology.

Derick Dickens has an MBA in Leadership, MDiv, and MA in Religion.  He speaks regularly on topics ranging from Christian Worldview issues to business leadership, and he is a Professor of Business and Human Resources.  Married for 15 years to his wife Lacie, they have three children and live in Lynchburg Virginia. You can follow Derick on Twitter at twitter.com/derickdickens. Derick blogs at www.completeinthee.com.