How To Grow Your Youth Group
Posted on Nov 1, 2024
My husband is reading The Unstuck Church by Tony Morgan. The book mentions that to start a church you need a leader, a preacher, and a pastor in that specific order. I’d never heard it explained that way before, but it made so much sense to me. I don’t know much else about the book, but I could immediately see how you need those same roles, in that order, to grow a youth group.
- You need someone to personally invite students to attend youth group. Flyers and social media are nice, but to grow a youth group you still need an actual person talking to youth and inviting them–AKA a leader.
- When new students attend youth group, their first interactions are going to be transactional. Offer them something to consume that is worth their while. You can offer the consumers great food, big fun, prizes, and a dynamic message leaving them with something to think about–AKA a preacher.
- As the new youth return a few more times to youth group, you build a relationship. You take care of the student, shepherding them and guiding them– AKA a pastor.
Who can fill these roles for your youth group?
Leader
The leader is a great role for students. Ask your students to bring their friends to youth group. Incentivize them to bring other students to youth group or make it a contest. Teach your youth what to say to invite someone to church, you could even have them role play and practice what to say ahead of time.
Preacher
Preachers are your activity leaders during youth group, proclaiming the Good News through the activities they lead. They are making sure everything is organized, safe, and running smoothly. As you’re thinking about who can help with the preacher role, don’t limit your brainstorming to adults.
My seven-year-old nephew stayed with me during his spring break, and I brought him along to youth group that Thursday night. Without prompting, he greeted every high school student as they walked in the door. He put himself in charge of making sure all the high school students had a plate for their pizza and that no one ran out of pop. The spiritual gift of hospitality transcends age.
Pastor
These are your small group leaders and mentors. Church members who talk to students about their weekly highs, lows, and where they’re experiencing God in their lives fill that pastor role. Your pastor-type people are having real conversations with students and are ready to listen to whatever youth want to talk about. Older adults are great at this role because they are more likely to have time to attend student sporting events, concerts, or take youth out for ice cream.
Whether you have three students in your youth group or three hundred, the same growth principles apply. Find leaders willing to step up and invite students, find preachers to share the Good News in memorable ways, and find pastors to share life together with students.
Amanda Clark is a veteran youth worker, having worked at camps, churches, and youth-focused non-profits for 25+ years. Want to continue this conversation? Amanda can be reached at [email protected].
Neither Amanda Clark nor anyone she knows is receiving any financial benefit from the mention of The Unstuck Church by Tony Morgan in this blog post. The reference is solely included as a useful framework for understanding the different roles that contribute to the growth of a youth group.