What is a Youth Group?

What is a Youth Group?

A youth group is a church group of a specific age group, typically 12-18 years old (or 7th-12th grade). These groups focus on spiritual, biblical, and interpersonal skills through fun and educational activities. The leaders of a youth ministry are typically youth-centered adults who have energy and passion for helping teenagers grow in their faith.

The members of a youth group typically attend the church the youth group is based in. It is a good base for the group but the group leaders should always reach out to teenagers of the community who may not be connected to a church. While starting a youth ministry can seem difficult, an enduring attitude, prayer, and having fun it will be easier than you think.

Why is it important?

The youth is the future of bringing people to God. But how can we expect them to make it there themselves if we aren’t actively reaching out to them? This generation probably has the hardest time to be a teenager. Think about it, there are more distractions and accessibility to sinful content than ever before. The Devil works in deception and there are a lot of tools at his disposal right now. As the percentage of older Christian adults decreases, so does the influence on raising children in a Christian household. If we don’t fill that gap, something else will.

Youth Groups should have the focus of teaching teenagers that they are loved. This correlates to personal growth in their faith or even learning about God for the first time. The goal of reaching teenagers where they are instead of expecting them to act perfect should be in the forefront of your youth group mission. By reaching out to teenagers, it provides another bridge to reaching at-risk youth. Even if you don’t change their lives right now, the experience at a youth group can leave an imprint on their life to be used in the future.

How to Start a Youth Ministry

If you make a youth group just about book studies and serious topics, I would guess that your group numbers may not become very strong. However, if you make the ministry only about having fun, then you risk it not being beneficial and having behavior issues. There is a good balance that you should aim to reach, check out these easy tips for a successful youth group.

Starting with youth in your church is the easiest way to start. Here are some things to keep in mind when planning a youth group:

• Teenagers are busy. Choose a night and time that won’t heavily interfere with extracurricular activities
• Treat it like a family. Family units are not always stable for teenagers and youth group can fill that void.
• It is a time commitment. Make sure you are ready to go all in with it before starting. A negative or neutral attitude can do more harm than good.

What to do with a youth group

A successful Youth Group should have four corners to its foundation. These are:

• Biblically based teachings
• Fun
• Service/community involvement
• Adventure

When one of these corners isn’t strong, it can lead to a either failure or missing out on amazing experiences for the kids. If your youth group leader does not feel strong in one of these aspects, it is important to ask for help from others in your congregation. It truly takes a village to raise a child and takes a church to raise a child of God.

Final Thoughts

Anyone thinking of starting a Youth Ministry should be prayerful about their intentions. If their intentions are good, go for it! The saying “you can’t catch fish if your hook isn’t in the water” applies to bringing teenagers to God. If we aren’t even trying, those teenagers are going to get away. A Youth Group can be a fun outlet for teenagers that gives them a sense of belonging.

Are you ready to start your youth ministry? Leave any questions or concerns below!