Title: Introduction to Youth Ministry
Author: John M. Dettoni
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Introduction
Almost all youth workers – Whether they’re paid professional ministers on the church staff or so-called volunteers called in to help, they undergo a somewhat intimidating interview process. They stand (or sit) before a church committee, which will “dissect” their every word and thought. This is the time when youth workers clearly articulate what they believe and how they intend to conduct youth ministry. But is having clear thoughts about the need for youth ministry and the purpose of each element really a philosophy of youth ministry? This book aims to answer questions about the philosophy of youth ministry.
Some youth workers thought they would be grilled when I served on a local church’s elected committee. But I believe the questions asked were genuine. No worker should be hired until they have answered all these questions. After reading this book, the reader will have an outline of the fundamental philosophical issues of youth ministry and will be able to form an opinion on at least the following questions:
- Tell us about your personal philosophy of youth ministry. Explain why you consider it important. What are the primary goals of ministry? What is the role of a leader? How does youth ministry relate to the local church, and what is the role of parishioners in youth ministry?
- What are the key elements of a youth program, and how do they relate to each other?
- Briefly describe the main components of your view of youth ministry.
- What is effective teaching? How do you define teaching? What is the role of the Holy Spirit in your concept of teaching and learning?
- Whose failure is it that young people do not grow spiritually and learn anything? How can you support youth in their learning process?
- Describe your leadership style. Are you casual, intense, a director, an instructor, or something else?
- How do you approach planning youth ministry?
- If you are married, what is your spouse’s perspective on youth ministry, and specifically, how do they see your involvement in youth ministry? What does your spouse think about the possibility of their participation in ministry with you?
- Briefly describe some of your most successful experiences as a teacher, when you felt you did a great job. What is the reason for your success in this case as a teacher and the students who learned from it?
- What do you consider important theological questions in youth ministry, and how would you address them?
- What makes a youth program successful? Describe the attitudes, actions, and behaviors.
- What is the relationship between organization, administration, programming, and leadership in youth ministry?
- What are the results of successful youth ministry?
Although some may think this book is only useful for beginning youth workers, regardless of age and experience, everyone can become even more effective by rethinking their philosophy of youth ministry. Today, there are many instructions for both beginning and experienced youth workers that outline how to begin and end ministry, but they fail to address important questions related to the foundations of ministry.
In this book, you will find a basic philosophy of youth ministry, laid out in elementary principles. You will encounter the concept of structured models applied to youth ministry. The book offers a detailed explanation of the four core elements of youth ministry, along with important principles for leadership training and development, administration and organization of camps and retreats, and evaluation.
Appendix A offers practical guidance on how a church organized its youth ministry using the principles presented in this book.
Appendix B is a comprehensive, yet not exhausting, bibliography of books on youth ministry.
This book addresses youth ministry, which encompasses young people from 12 to 25 years of age—that is, junior high school seniors, high school graduates, and young adults of vocational and college age. Some churches have attempted to classify young adults of college and college age as adults, but have found that such youth are not yet considered adults. While there is a significant difference between younger and older youth, they all experience significant changes in puberty. We believe that church youth ministry should encompass everyone within this 14-year-old age range.
I hope that the reader of this book will be inspired to think and practice youth ministry to become even more effective youth workers.
