Do parishes need to hire a full-time youth minister?
I believe we as a Church need to figure out how to make this possible. The field needs more professionals, because the opportunity to accompany and equip the next generation of Church leaders is too big to miss.
While some volunteers are more than capable of carrying the burden, the ministry still needs someone who can coordinate and lead those volunteers for the long term.
I don't want to downplay the value of volunteers, but cultivating a ministry for young people means coordinating more than just a program. Ministry with young people requires advocacy, training, planning and so much more. If we want the next generation to form a deep relationship with Jesus Christ we need a full-time ministry leader who is answering the following question:
What does it look like to integrate future generations into the life and mission of the parish?
If your parish (or diocese) is interested in investing in full-time professional parish ministry you need to answer these 3 questions:
When you think of teens growing in faith at your parish and having an impact on the surrounding community, what does that look like? Are they engaged in service? Are they leading worship?
Usually when I ask a parish what they want with the next generation they respond, "We just want them to be present." And that's great, but it's got to go a little deeper. If you have a vision for the next generation then the person you hire will have a clear direction on where it is you want them to go.
If you want to integrate young people into the life of the parish it's going to cost more than buying equipment and curriculum. You need to invest in a person who is going to lead the charge. If you go for someone new you'll probably spend less money on salary, but more time on development. If you go for a seasoned veteran, the salary will be higher, but you can be more hands off.
The goal is to know how much to invest so that you reduce the turnover. If someone feels undervalued due to pay or overburdened due to lack of support, they'll leave. So don't just look at what it'll cost to get the person to say yes to the position. Look at what it will take to keep them around long enough for the ministry to thrive.
The answer is closely tied to the first question, but this is what will shape the job description you create for the position. As you think about the role, set goals and define success. When you have a clear picture of what that looks like, you can sit down and write a job description that meets those expectations.
One of the challenges parishes face with full-time employees is that expectations don't match the reality of the job description. If someone is hired to grow youth attendance and build a program from scratch, but is also expected to run vacation Bible school and cover the front office, something has to give. Goals and expectations have to match the actual role.
When we get clear on what a ministry leader does with youth, we are more likely to set them up for success. The reason so many parishes struggle with whether or not to hire a youth minister is because they haven't taken the time to think about what they want for the next generation, how much they are willing to invest, and what exactly they want the person to do.
Hiring a full-time youth minister isn't just a staffing decision. It's a statement about what your parish believes about the next generation. It says we think this matters enough to invest real time, real money, and real leadership into it.
The Church needs more professionals in this field. Not because volunteers aren't valuable, but because the work of forming young disciples requires someone whose full attention is on the question of how this generation finds their place in the life of the parish.
If you're ready to take that step, start with these three questions. The answers will tell you more than any job posting ever could.