“Where are you going?”
Small groups were beginning and I noticed that one of my seniors was leaving.
“I’m just heading home.”
I responded, “What about small groups?”
She said, “Oh I’m not a fan of the small group you put me in, plus I get my group time with the band.”
It never occurred to me that for some of the teens in our student worship band that small groups were a little redundant. After all our worship leaders Chris and Simon had done an excellent job of creating a culture where the students were:
- Praying together
- Sharing life inside and outside the ministry
- Going deeper into their faith through liturgical and worship music
In fact, there were other teens in our parish who were a part of ministries where they were being fed spiritually and building community with people their own age. It was an area of ministry that wasn’t being measured; yet, producing a lot of fruit.
If you want to build a healthy ministry you sometimes need to go beyond the traditional setting. By creating niche ministries where teens gather because of a certain cause, skill or habit you:
CREATE NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO REACH TEENS
Selling the idea of youth group can be challenging especially if a student (or parent) has had a negative experience with it in the past. A teen might be more likely to join the tech team, student worship band, parish sports team, or a scouting program. That’s okay, it’s a hook and a way to get them into the door. But, to be effective you need to:
EQUIP IT WITH QUALITY LEADERSHIP
When you find adults to lead this group you need to make sure you are forming them as disciples. You need to help them see their group, club or ministry as an opportunity to evangelize and mentor. That means helping them see the vision, training them in the art of empathy and holding them accountable to their own faith journey.
UNDERSTAND IT’S ROLE IN THE CHURCH
The problem with clubs and niche ministries is that they can become sideways energy. This usually happens when there isn’t a clear vision that is communicated to everyone involved. It’s not to say:
- Step 1: Join the club
- Step 2: Go to Mass every week
- Step 3: Get into Heaven
It’s knowing how to engage new students and disciple the regulars. It’s seeing how it serves the greater vision of the church and measuring the results. If it doesn’t have a purpose or competes with something else you are doing then you have to look at whether or not it’s worth doing.
BE AWARE OF COMPETITION
There are times we’re tempted to create a niche ministry because what’s available in the community isn’t faith-based enough. There is value to offering a Christ-centered alternative but it isn’t always necessary. In fact, if there is an opportunity to get involved in something that’s already established go for it. Your influence will go beyond the teens and even impact adults in a way an on-campus ministry could not.
If you go that route make sure you build a casual and authentic relationship with whoever is in charge. Make your intentions supporting them and not overthrowing their authority. You need to earn trust and that takes time, but the results are worth it.
Not everyone is made for a traditional structure of youth ministry. We’re created differently which means we have to engage people with different approaches from time to time. Niche and club ministry can help us do that and so much more.
Does your church have any niche groups? Which ones work and are effective?