Youth Leaders
Youth leaders (young adults, usually 20 years or older) come from two main sources, within the church body or from the youth group. Some of the teens that were a part of the teen leader group will often transition to youth leaders. Much of the youth pastor’s time should be spent discipling this group and equipping them to lead the youth ministry (See Ephesians 4:12). If the youth leader has done their job well, they can step away from the youth ministry for a time (vacation, itineration, etc.) and the youth ministry should not only continue to function but to thrive and grow. Our youth leaders are the key people who are meeting with teens on a regular basis, are a driving force in the small groups and ministry teams and are the first line of support when a teen needs comfort and council. This means empowering our youth leaders to lead.
Send
Eventually, our teenagers (and youth leaders) will leave. They may be going away to college, heading off to a technical school or entering the job market. This shouldn’t be a sad time but a time where we launch them into lifelong ministry when we send them out to serve the LORD. This could be in our church, or in Students for Christ at their university, or meeting a ministry need at another church. We should not grudgingly and reluctantly let them go, but we should gladly send them to go and make disciples.
By developing a functional structure of sustainable youth ministry, we will be able to create a youth ministry whereby teens are being won to the lord, built into disciples, and sent back into the world to create disciples for Christ. It is wonderful if these teens come back into the youth ministry or church as leaders, but it is equally as wonderful when they are released into all the world to continue the missio dei.
About the Author.
Tony has been married to Anna have for 26 years and have three children. After decades of stateside ministry, Tony and Anna have served as Assembly of God World Missionaries since 2006. Serving first in Madrid, Spain and now in Vienna, Austria at Vienna Christian Center (VCC). Tony holds a master’s degree in intercultural studies and is the author of More than Pizza: Youth Ministry Beyond Our Culture and Ethnicity.
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