Measuring Success In Youth Ministry
Measuring success within youth ministry is hard; however, important. The other day a small group leader was sharing with me the story of a boy in his...
I’m not a great small group leader. I own the conversation and ask too many closed ended questions. Despite my shortcomings the guys in my small group like me and I love them. The largest challenge I face is bringing them back each week.
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Bringing students back is a challenge. On top of all their responsibilities they’ll have to deal with their lives constantly changing. To work with teenagers in an ever changing world it’s important to think:
RELATIONALLY
That means looking at the teens who attend as more than numbers. It’s about understanding why they come and why they don’t. To think relationally and bring teens back you need to:
STEP 1: KNOW HOW TO REACH THEM
There our several ways to reach your teens. To know that they received the message you need to know how they are communicating with others. Do a survey to see which forms of communication are the most popular. Compile the data and hand it to your volunteers (especially small group leaders), so they know how to reach out. When you reach teens in the way that they communicate, they will respond.
STEP 2: FOCUS ON THE PARENTS
Parents are a large reason why teens come back each week. Take the time to thank parents for driving their children to and from your programs. Reach out to them by letting them know what you think of their teen. Invest in them just you would your volunteers. When parents are on the same page as you they’ll become your largest advocate in getting teens to come back.
STEP 3: CONSISTENTLY ENGAGE THEM
You can never over communicate in ministry. Touch base with your teens on a regular basis. If they missed a week find out ways of sharing what they might have missed (i.e. photos on Instagram). Let teens know that you are thinking of them by sending out texts before a big game or test. When gaps in communication form it’s easy for teens to feel disconnected. Engage them by sharing what’s going on in your life and checking in on what’s happening with them.
STEP 4: BUILD COMMUNITY ON THE OUTSIDE
Look at including teenagers into your life outside the usual ministry night. Go bowling or catch a movie with the group. Create camaraderie outside the church building. By doing this you are allowing you are dropping down some of the wall they will put up in a church setting. Give them a familiar environment so they can act in a natural way.
The more you focus on the relational aspect of ministry the easier it will be to connect with teenagers. They’ll see that you are willing to address the deeper and more challenging subjects in their lives. Teens will come back when you take the proper steps to focus on them relationally.
What strategies do you use to bring teens back each week?