Keeping It Relational

Some of the best memories I have from high school are of the adults that invested in me personally. They sat with me through my parent’s divorce.  They were knowledgeable and relational in their faith.  They showed me how to persevere in life and, as a youth minister I want to pass that on.

Courtesy of kevin dooley/Creative Commons License

Youth ministry needs to be relational in order to be flexible with the chaos of life.  Relational ministry reminds teens that they are not alone.  It also gives parents a solid partner in ministry.  To make your ministry relational you not only need small groups and adults who care about teens, you also need to:

• Focus On Volunteers: To have a relational ministry means having healthy adult to teen ratios.  As a youth minister you need to make sure you are constantly inviting and encouraging men and women to get involved.  If you can connect teens into intergenerational relationships they’ll leave an impression that will last a lifetime.

• Make It Simple: To keep your ministry relational you need to keep it simple for your volunteers.  That means setting them up for success by having materials ready for them.  Give them clear direction on what to do.  Take care of the details so that volunteers can show up and be present for the students.

• Offer Opportunities: Relationships blossom in a variety of opportunities and experiences.  Keep your team plugged into opportunities and events around the community.  This will help teens see how relationships can grow outside the church building.

• Practice What You Preach: If you want a relational ministry you need to focus on being relational yourself.  That means pouring into your volunteers and, getting to know them personally.  Invest in a small group of adults so that you experience relational accountability.

Keep it relational by focusing on connecting teens in accountable, loving and God honoring relationships.  The more relational your ministry the deeper you can go with teens.  The deeper your teens go the stronger your ministry will grow.

How are do make your ministry relational?