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I asked several new and seasoned youth leaders from across the
country the following questions. Within this eBook are their incredibly
valuable responses.
What I Wished Someone Would Have Told Me Before Starting 4‐9
What Resources Do You Need to Be More Effective 10‐14
Where I Find Most of the Student Ministry Information I Use 15‐16
What I Enjoy Most About Student Ministry 17‐19
The Area of Student Ministry I Struggle With Most 20‐27
What Are Some Handy Sermon Preparation Tips 28‐30
Things You Won’t Regret While in Student Ministry 31‐32
Additional Resources 33‐36
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“FOCUS ON BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH STUDENTS.”
Teens are all about relationships. They talk, text, and daydream in and about relationships.
Many attend because a friend invited them. Many leave because of a bad relationship.
Therefore, relationships are key to your becoming a great youth leader.
Here are a few ideas for building relationships with students.
1. Text or engage them on social media each week. It’s a good idea to have a social
media policy for youth leaders as part of your youth worker application. We will
discuss a social media policy later.
2. Call them. I realize most teens don’t talk on the phone much but getting a call
from a leader is a big deal. Make sure to leave a message if they don’t answer.
Make it fun and encouraging. Who knows they may keep the message for years!
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3. Write them a note; send them a postcard via snail mail. All right, now I’m dating
myself, but everyone enjoys getting notes in the mail.
4. Grab a coffee with them. Need I say more? What teen (or youth leader) doesn’t
like coffee these days?
5. Invite a few teens to your house for dinner. (Secure parent’s permission first.)
Better yet, make dinner together and then eat.
6. Attend their school activities. You may not be able to see one of their games or
concerts, but you may be able to attend one of their practices. Take pictures and
tag them so they know you were there.
7. Take time before and after a service to say hello and ask teens about their day.
8. Make opportunities for students to serve. This lets them know they are on your
radar and you’ve been thinking about them. Let them know you believe they can
do the job. Most teens want to serve and be a part of what is happening. Tap into
this.
9. Take time to teach them a life skill. Many teens don’t know basic life skills.
Taking time to teach them a few let’s them know you care about them as
individuals. Invite a group over and teach them several skills at once. Then have
the group help each other.
A few skills to help you get started include; computer skills, sewing a button,
how to tie a tie, baking, basic self defense, how to do laundry, checking tire
pressure, applying make‐up, fill out a job application, cut fruit/vegetables,
balance a checkbook, fix a running toilet, what to do if you get in a car accident,
iron, jump start a car, exercise program, apply to college, etc…
10. Do devotions/pray together.
When asked this question, one youth leader put it this way.
“Building relationships are more important than preaching the most
eloquent message.”
To quote a familiar statement, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how
much you care.”
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“FIND BALANCE BETWEEN LIFE AND MINISTRY.”
Many a youth leader will plan youth events several weeks or months in advance. Few take
similar steps in planning their personal life and marriage. Here are a few balancing steps.
Keep the romance fires burning! Ask your wife out on a date. I’ve been married for
more than 30 years and still ask my bride out. Most of the time she says, ‘yes!’ Planning
youth events several weeks in advance and not taking time to plan ahead on your marriage
and family is sure to catch up with you.
Plan your calendar out at least six months in advance. Begin by recording all church
and youth activities. Next fill in any major school activities (you can find these on the school
website). Record holidays, family activities, and personal events (school assignments, job
related events, etc.)
Note the busy seasons. You may have one week with two or three major things taking place.
You can relieve some of the pressure by getting another leader to do the message that week.
If you’re attending school and have a paper due, for example, have another leader plan out
the activities for that week. Use the weeks when there is less to do to catch up and/or plan
ahead. In other words, once you have everything on your calendar you will be better
prepared.
At the end of each month, plan out the next month. In this way you always stay six months
out in your planning.
Delegate as many responsibilities to other leaders as you are able. As I built my team
I was able to have every area of our youth service delegated except the speaking. I had a
leader plan the opening activity, a leader oversee the worship, a leader responsible for
registering visitors, a leader over the sound/lights, and so on. In this way I was able to
focus my energies on the message and hanging out with the students.
Securing people in your life to coach you in specific areas will give you greater
capacity. For example, you may have someone in the church who can mentor you with
finances, time management skills, healthy living or home projects. This investment
certainly helps by saving you time in the long run. You now have more time to devote to
family and ministry.
“YOU WON’T HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.”
Believe it or not you won’t have all the answers and please don’t try to have them all. Life is
a journey. Journey with your students together and discover answers together. Realize that
there are many questions you will never get answers. Showing students that you continue
to trust God in the midst of not having all the answers will mean a great deal to students in
their own journey.
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Recently I had a young leader pray for me in front of a group of other leaders. He thanked
God that I was not a good example. I must admit I was a bit taken back by this until he
continued praying.
He thanked God that even though I had recently gone through a serious of surgeries,
medical expenses, and no job, that I continued to trust God. In other words, I didn’t have it
all together but still believed that God had it all together. This gave him hope!
Students will come with you with questions as to why their parents are getting divorced,
why their friend says he/she is homosexual, what is God’s will for their life, why do others
bully me, why is it so hard to forgive, why is my brother so sick, etc…?
It’s all right to say, “I don’t know, but let’s continue to help each other during our journey.”
Here are a few things you can do to help.
o Network with other youth leaders. Ask them for advice.
o Find a mentor. Perhaps there is someone in your church who is an expert in a
specific area. Is there someone who deals with ADHD or other disabilities?
o Read blogs, books and articles to guide you.
o Build a team around you. One idea is to assign out to each leader a specific area they
are to research and then share insights with the other team members.
One youth leader shared the following.
“This (being a youth leader) is really hard but you can do it.”
Some things in life are worth doing. You will never regret pouring your life into others.
Don’t give up. There will be days, mostly Thursdays or the day after your youth service that
you will want to quit. Don’t! Everyone has an ‘off night.’ Determine to stay in for the long
haul. You’ll be glad you did – believe me.
“UNDERSTAND THE VISION OF THE CHURCH AND YOUR LEAD
PASTOR’S EXPECTATIONS.”
The number one reason people get frustrated is because of unmet expectations. We either
don’t know what the expectations are or we failed to meet them. Here are a few
suggestions to help you with this.
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Get the vision of the church in writing. This ensures that everyone is on the same
page and is a handy reminder for you as you move forward. Remind your youth
leaders of the vision of the church on a regular basis.
Make sure the vision for the youth ministry compliments and walks hand‐in‐hand
with the vision of the church. The church and, in most cases, the pastor will be there
longer than you. The youth ministry is to support the overall ministry, not the other
way around.
Sit down with your Pastor and ask him/her what the expectations are. Ask him this
question. “How will I know I’ve been successful in your eyes?” In other words, what
exactly are you looking for in a youth minister and youth ministry?
Tie in the vision and expectations when asking permission to do an event or sharing
on the outcome of an event. Doing so gives a well thought out purpose for the event
and you are more likely to have the pastor’s blessing and make it easier to secure
future events.
Call, text or email all incidents to him before anyone else lets him know. You never
want your pastor to call you about something that he should have heard from you.
“THE LONGER YOU ARE THERE, THE MORE FRUIT YOU WILL SEE.”
Too many youth leaders leave too soon. One youth leader put it this way…
“Year one can be a tough year, but by year three things start to move forward.”
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Sticking it out has several benefits. Here are a few.
Parents, students and church leaders trust you more the longer you are there.
You are forced to grow. It’s much easier to be at five churches for two years each,
than be at one church for 10. Being at the same church forces you to stay fresh,
develop better programs and keep current in your preaching.
Develop deeper relationships with your pastor, leaders and individuals in the
church.
See students become leaders in your youth ministry and in the church.
Once you finally do hand off the youth ministry, you hand it off in much better shape than
you would if you were only there for a year or two. Of course, simply staying longer is no
guarantee of this, but the longer you stay in place the more possibilities there are for the
next youth leader.
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“MENTORING.”
Most wouldn’t think that mentoring would be considered a resource for the local youth
leader but several responded by saying having a mentor is the one thing they need to be
more effective.
You may not be able to find an individual who is willing or able to spend time mentoring
you in a face‐to‐face meeting but there are several ways you can benefit in a mentoring
relationship.
Books – Don’t underestimate the mentoring possibilities found through reading.
Many top leaders point to reading as the number one way they grow in their personal and
ministry life. Begin by doing a search on the Internet of top youth ministry or personal
growth books or ask other youth leaders what book(s) have made a difference in their life.
Podcasts – Technology has allowed us to have a plethora (I love this word) of top
communicators addressing relevant issues at our disposal.
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Web articles – Within seconds you’ll find hundreds of current trend articles on the
web. No time to look over all of them? I understand. Why not assign out to each of your
leaders to read one article a week and share a short synopsis with the other team
members?
As you collect articles, stats, trends, you can file them away in a sermon file to help as you
prepare messages in the future. I’ll discuss this a bit in the Sermon Prep section.
Leader cohorts – My favorite mentoring approach. Gather with other youth leaders
once a month to discuss personal and ministry issues. Spend some time praying for each
other.
“ACCOUNTABILITY.”
Another resource that came to the surface was accountability. Too many young leaders are
afraid to discuss their struggles and as a result spend a great deal of their time battling
temptation alone.
There are many great FREE software programs out there to help you if you are unable to
find someone to help.
When it comes to being accountable in ministry makes sure your lead pastor is the one to
whom you remain accountable. Here’s a suggestion for you.
On Monday email your pastor letting him know what you’ll be covering that week in
the youth ministry service. This lets him know you’re ready and helps you in your planning.
Additionally, make sure your pastor knows your ministry calendar for the month listing out
each activity and its purpose. Don’t forget to follow‐up with the results. How many guests?
How many prayed a prayer of salvation? How many attended? Do your best to make sure
your pastor hears the good too! This proactive approach goes a long way in building trust.
“TEAM OF COMMITTED LEADERS.”
This one should seem very obvious to everyone who has served in youth ministry. A good
team makes all the difference in the success of your ministry
How do you develop such a team? Great question.
Here Are Some Thoughts
Value – Ask them how they’re doing. Occasionally give them a night off, before they
need it. Mention to other leaders and students, what a great job they did.
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Celebrate/Appreciate – Once a year have a special night to honor your leaders.
Surprise them with a small gift or card to show your appreciation.
Challenge – Express your thanks and then challenge them to the next level of
leadership. Be both their biggest cheerleader and coach.
Pray – Goes without saying, but I’ll say it, pray.
Many potential adult leaders don’t have the quantity of time to devote to student ministry.
Many youth ministries have developed various levels of leadership to combat this. Here is
one example of what this looks like.
Level 1 are leaders who help with big events or special
outings.
Level 2 are leaders who help with activities and attend the
youth service.
Level 3 are leaders who are at everything.
Don’t forget to have every youth leader fill out a volunteer ministry application and
background check. You can find great examples and helps online.
‐Check your local Christian bookstore or online for ideas and resources.
‐Develop your own. This is not as difficult as it sounds. Make questions from your
weekly message for small group leaders to ask.
‐Do a verse‐by‐verse study through one of the gospels.
‐Consider purchasing a small group curriculum. Share the cost with a few other
youth ministries. This allows each group to use the same material and share in the cost.
MaterialsGroupSmall
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I must sound like a broken record by now, but the Internet is filled with hundreds of games
for small, medium and large groups. Make sure to assign this out to that one leader on your
team that is crazy fun! Finally, don’t think you have do games every night or every time you
get together.
Have a social media policy that the church leadership is on board with and include this in
your volunteer ministry application. Find helps on developing your churches social media
policy online.
Here Are A Few Questions To Consider.
“Can leaders contact students or be friends with them through social media?”
“Do you want your youth ministry to have a social media page for students to
interact with and get information from?”
“Who will be responsible for this?”
“Is there an overall church social media policy?”
IdeasGame
PolicyMediaSocial
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You may want to have your pastor and church board look over any social media policy you
have established. The last thing you, your pastor or church want to deal with is an
inappropriate post on one of your sites.
Assign a leader you trust to monitor your social media accounts.
Post updates that promote activities.
Share updates following an event.
Ask students what social media they use and what they want to see on your sites.
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There are many great youth ministries out there that can help you find more helps and
resources than you could ever use. Again, if you’re like most youth leaders the issue is not
having enough information out there; it is finding enough time to search for it.
I’ve listed a few helps that I’ve used in the past to help.
DISTRICT OR NETWORK
Most every church belongs to a larger network. These leaders are there to help you be
successful at the local level.
Additionally, many of these ministries offer useful and several FREE resources!
http://youthleaderscoach.com
https://prezi.com (Presentation software)
http://videosforstudentministry.com
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https://www.fiverr.com (Designs and a whole lot more)
http://youth.ag.org
http://youthspecialties.com
http://minhubapp.com (Ministry database app)
http://www.simplyyouthministry.com
http://youthministry.com
http://www.jotform.com (Theme forms)
http://thesource4ym.com
http://www.downloadyouthministry.com
http://www.churchleaders.com/youth
http://www.churchstagedesignideas.com
Don’t Forget!
Tap into youth leaders from other churches. Most I know are more than willing to help out
a fellow youth worker.
And…
Students. Ask your students for ideas, trends, and feedback. After all, the reason we are
doing this is for them.
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“BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH STUDENTS.”
One youth leader wrote being on campus with students was one of their favorite things to
do and places to hang out with students. I like that this leader recognizes the need to be in
the world of the student. It’s there that the best relationships are built.
“SEEING STUDENTS EXPERIENCE GOD.”
Many youth leaders mentioned this one! No surprise here.
Use multiple events and activities
Perhaps it goes without saying but allow time for altar experiences. Don’t assume that just
because you’re at a youth event this will take place. Be proactive. If you don’t help them
experience God, who will?
Talk with students about God
Anytime I met with a student I always had a couple of questions to ask them while we hung
out. One was always, “how are you and Jesus doing?”
Ask students how they experience God outside of church
Don’t limit their experiences to church or youth outings. Ask how they experience God
outside of these times. If they don’t know the answer, it will at least make them aware that
they can encounter God anytime and they are more likely to anticipate it next time.
For example, you may ask them how they experienced God while on vacation or while at
the mall or while at school.
“WATCHING STUDENT’S BE TRANSFORMED.”
Take time in your leadership gatherings to share stories of how students are being
changed! Sharing stories will encourage your leadership team and strengthen them to
continue the journey. Plus it’s just fun to hear what God is doing in teen’s lives.
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“SEEING STUDENTS GROW IN THEIR FAITH.”
This just doesn’t happen because you have a weekly youth service. It’s necessary to develop
a plan for this to happen. Map out on your yearly planning calendar seasons where
students will be challenged.
It’s been said, “you can’t grow what you can’t measure.”
In other words, make sure you can measure what growth looks like.
How are students growing in their walk with Christ?
What are you doing to make this happen?
How are you celebrating student’s growth?
How are other leaders interacting to help the students grow in their faith?
What do students share when it comes to how they are growing in faith?
These are just a few questions to ask when considering how students are growing.
“MOBILIZING STUDENTS IN THEIR CALL FROM GOD.”
Here’s A Couple Of Ideas
Speak on God’s call.
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Provide ample opportunities for students to experience various aspects of ministry.
This gives them a broad view of possibilities and room for the Spirit to speak to
them.
Have students take a spiritual gift assessment. You can find these online.
Provide students with ways they can be involved in ministry in the church.
Connect parents and students to Christian Universities, Mission Organizations, Para‐
Church Groups, etc…
Help students see we are all called by God to fulfill the Great Commission. It’s just a
matter of where and how.
As you get to know students and see a call on their lives, tell them they have a call of
God on their life. Challenge them to pursue it. One of the biggest reasons I’m in
ministry today is because I had people in my life who expressed their belief that God
had called me to full‐time vocational ministry.
One leader shared this.
“I most enjoy seeing the students saved and called to ministry. When a student
discovers their calling, their world changes. I pray that God would do more in
the hearts of the students than simply what happens during a Wednesday night
youth service.”
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“CREATING CULTURE WITH LEADERSHIP TEAM.”
Culture doesn’t just happen, nor does it change overnight. It takes time to see the fruit of
your labor in ministry and this is once again true when it comes to changing the culture of
your ministry. Sadly, too many youth leaders leave for another youth group or ministry
before seeing the change they set out to accomplish.
To create a healthy culture you must understand that it is the people who carry the culture
throughout the group. Look for and gather the most contagious individuals on your team
and ask them to help you carry the desired culture to the rest of your group.
As I said above, creating culture does not happen overnight, but it may just be the most
important thing you do as a leader. It will take time and require being extremely proactive
about changing it.
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5 Steps To Creating A Culture
Here’s one youth leader’s response.
“Developing new cultures with my leadership team.”
*I address this very issue of culture in my book, “Creating a Discipleship Culture in Your
Youth Ministry.” There’s information on how you can get your copy at the end of this eBook.
“TIME TO REST.”
Perhaps the most violated commandment of the 10 is the command to rest. Even God
rested after six days of creation!
Just as you plan every event in your youth ministry you will need to plan periods of rest.
Jesus modeled this in Scripture, as you will find verses indicating he broke away from the
crowd to be alone.
I know what you’re thinking. You already know that we are to rest. That’s not the issue. It’s
finding the time to do it!
Decide the
culture you
wish to create
Communicate it
with your team
Make small
changes over
a period of
time
Ensure every
activity
affirms the
culture
Don't try to
convert others
to your culture.
Convert them
to Christ
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How To Get Time Back On Your Side
Without a doubt the two most important words in your vocabulary are ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ Some
times you have to say no. No matter how gifted you are, you won’t be able to do everything
well. It’s much better to do a few things great, than many things, good. Learn to say, NO.
Pray before you add more things to your calendar.
Sit down with your spouse and leadership team to re‐evaluate your calendar. Is what you
have on the calendar vital to the overall success of what you’re attempting to accomplish?
Consider sitting down with a mentor or finding a book or taking a class on time
management.
Notice when your leaders are tired and need a break.
After a long day of ministry, Jesus made sure the disciples got to a quiet place to eat and
rest.
Mark 6.30‐31 “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had
done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did
not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet
place and get some rest.” (NIV)
Sow the seeds you wish to see sown in your life.
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“STAYING INSPIRED AND KEEPING MINISTRY FRESH.”
More than one youth leader expressed this struggle.
“The week‐to‐week sermon prep.”
I can’t begin to express how much I appreciate the vulnerability of this response. It’s tough
to stay inspired over the long haul.
Realize you are not the only one who has felt this. Every youth leader has had seasons
when it was difficult to prepare another sermon, plan an activity or make another call to a
student.
Grab a prayer partner. I had a group of ladies from the church that committed themselves
to pray for my family, my ministry and me. They offered words of encouragement and
shared insights that were helpful to me.
Expand your creativity by reading and/or doing things outside your normal routine. Doing
so heightens creativity.
Occasionally, change things up.
Have the message first and then worship.
Visit another youth group for fresh perspective and new ideas.
Preach from a remote place and show the video rather than do it live.
Attend a conference geared toward youth ministry.
Break into small group for discussion rather than one large group.
Turn the room around. Speak from the back of the room.
Get out of the church. Visit students. Go to campus events.
Share stories with others of how your students are growing in their faith.
Every so often, plan a day when nothing is planned. Sleep in, talk a walk, read, watch a
movie, nap, listen to music, etc. Spend the day doing unplanned things that are relaxing.
Take a drive to a nearby city and spend the day exploring.
Exercise. Get the blood flowing again and break out of the doldrums.
“FEELING LIKE I’M MAKING A DIFFERENCE.”
You are! I can tell you after 30 plus years of youth ministry that everything you do as a
youth leader makes a difference in the lives of teens. You may not see the immediate fruit
but I guarantee you will experience changed lives in the months and years to follow.
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“FOLLOW UP.”
Make sure you gather information from new students at each event.
Assign a student leader to call or text them within 24 hours of the event.
Thank them for coming and get to know a few things about them.
Connect with them again within the week to invite them back.
Follow up at least once a week over the next two weeks.
During my days as a volunteer youth leader we were challenged to contact every student in
our small group each week. I would take Monday nights to call each male student, while my
wife called each female student.
Occasionally, we would visit students who we hadn’t seen in a while to reconnect. The
bottom line is you must make follow up a huge priority. Keeping a student involved is
generally easier than getting a student to visit for the first time.
“OTHER CHURCH RESPONSIBILITIES.”
More churches are hiring less staff to do more work. Of course, I didn’t need to tell you that,
you already knew this.
So, either prior to accepting the position or as soon as you finish reading this eBook, sit
down with your pastor or ask him/her to help you prioritize your responsibilities. In other
words where does youth ministry fall within other responsibilities?
Make sure both of you are on the same page when it comes to expectations. The main cause
of frustration and individuals leaving or being released from a position is unmet or
unknown expectations.
One good aspect of having multiple responsibilities is it gives you more experience and
broadens your gift set. This can prove extremely valuable in your next assignment.
“ADMINISTRATIVE/ORGANIZED.”
Let’s Look At A Few Ways To Get Better Organized.
1. Find someone who has this gift and can help you with the organizational side of the
ministry.
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2. Plan out week before getting into office for the week. I found that the Friday before
the next week was a good time to plan the next week. In this way I focused on what
was important and necessary rather than on what could wait.
3. Keep a digital file for each event or activity. Then when the next similar event comes
around you have all the necessary forms, schedules, responsibilities, contact
information, etc you need.
4. Develop a service planner for your youth services. This includes:
Who sets the room
Who leads the game or activity
Who leads worship
Who does sound/lights
Who makes announcements/offering
Who speaks
Who works security
Who gathers guest information
Who cleans up…and so on
This ensures each and every area is accounted for, thus eliminating or at least, reducing
unexpected surprises.
5. CC yourself any emails that need follow up.
6. Have a set time each week for sermon prep and NOT on the same day you speak.
Check the Sermon Prep chapter for some ideas on this.
7. Make a budget sheet for each event.
Here’s a simple example of one.
INCOME:
Number of students ________________ X $______________= Total Income $________________
Expense Cost Vendor Phone #
Transportation
Tickets/Site/Event
Food
Supplies
Promotion
Lodging
Other
TOTAL $
Take the total of expenses for the activity and divide this by number of students you expect.
If total cost is $900 and you have 30 students, the cost is $30 per student.
Of Course Always Underestimate On Income And Over Estimate On Expenses.
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It’s always a better idea to tell your pastor you made money on an event, or at least covered
all expenses than tell him you lost money.
Keeping all this information on one file helps you as you plan for similar events.
Here Are Some Thoughts On Being A Good Steward Of The Finances.
1. Discuss the history, current handling and future of the youth ministry budget and
finances with your pastor. Is there a plan in place for a budget?
2. Ask for the previous year’s budget and current year’s projected budget.
3. Meet with the individual who oversees the youth ministry budget to discuss correct
procedures for purchases. Are purchase orders needed?
4. What ways does the youth ministry generate income? (Budget, offerings, fund
raisers, etc…)
5. What’s the philosophy on the youth ministry asking for money from individuals in
the congregation? (Mission trips, camps, etc…)
6. Can the youth ministry receive an offering once a year for youth ministry budget?
7. Does the church own a van or bus for transportation? Do you have a dealer you
work with for rentals? What are the requirements for who can drive?
8. Does the church pay your way for events or conferences? What about your spouse?
9. To whom do you give youth offerings and income and who keeps track of income
and expenses?
10. Are there vendors the church always works with or can you look for the best deal?
11. How much advance notice do you give when requesting a check or purchase order?
12. If the youth ministry makes money can it keep the excess for future events or for
improving facilities or new equipment?
13. Can you carry funds over into the next year or does your budget start over again?
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“EVANGELISM AND INTEGRATING NEW STUDENTS.”
Remember, we are looking at areas youth leaders struggle with the most. So how can youth
leaders find success with this?
Make evangelism a part of your personal life. Tell stories of how you’re reaching
your neighbors, friends and co‐workers. Hopefully, if you work in the church, you
won’t have to reach your co‐workers!
As they hear you tell of your own personal struggles, fears and how others came to Christ,
students will begin to engage their friends.
Avoid making evangelism an event. Not to say you can’t have evangelistic events, but
rather make it a part of the culture of your youth ministry.
Have a VIP room for guests to your youth ministry and the student who brought
them. Have a few snacks or small gift. Only those students who brought someone
can enter with their guest.
Sit down with your team and come up with a few ideas on how to integrate new
students.
Ask new students what they liked and didn’t like.
Let them know you loved having them and would love having them be a part of the
group.
I not only loved this honest response, but think it speaks to and for so many incredible
volunteer youth leaders.
“Balance and self care. Being part time it can be hard to know where to put my
time. Developing a leadership team that I know I can trust areas of the ministry
to has helped so much! Having a full time job outside of youth ministry it can
also be hard to find that balance in my own life for self care. I want to be the
healthiest version of myself spiritually, physically, and emotionally, that is a
challenge full time or part time, but it is hard to balance a full time job, a youth
ministry, and personal life.”
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HAVE A PLAN
SPEAK IN SERIES
I have always found it beneficial to speak in series. Sit down with your leadership team and
ask what 10 topics need to be addressed over the course of the next year. Consider sitting
down with a group of students as well to ask the same question.
Plan each series to be four weeks, giving you 40 weeks of material. The remaining 12 weeks
can serve as individual messages, guests, nights off due to holidays, etc…
ALLOW THE PASSAGE TO SPEAK
Rather than attempting to find several scriptures to support the message, discover a
passage of scripture to support your message. In other words, allow the passage to speak
the message.
Everyone loves a great story. Read through a story and let the story bring the application.
Let’s look at the story of David and Goliath, for example.
David was obeying his father when God used him in a mighty way (1 Samuel 17.17‐
19).
David had been preparing himself for God’s service when no one else was around (1
Samuel 17.34‐37).
You can’t wear someone else’s armor to fight in (1 Samuel 17.38‐40).
David’s weapon was his God (1 Samuel 17.45‐47).
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Application:
How have you been preparing yourself for the day you face something bigger than
yourself?
How is God our greatest weapon against the attacks of the enemy.
KISS
Keep is Super Simple. Use your small groups, discipleship classes and one‐on‐one times to
dig deeper into Scripture.
BEGIN WITH END IN MIND
Think about the one thing you want students to walk away with and work backwards from
there. Using our David and Goliath example, the one thing I want is for students to know
that God is on their side in the midst of conflict.
USE TOOLS
When looking at the text, look for key words, phrases and images in the text. Note if words
are repeated.
Next, take these words or phrases and scan the Internet. Type in the word. Look at
definitions, articles and images. Often you will find this will enhance creative aspects and
help you think outside the box.
I also like using YouTube for videos to help illustrate the message. Again, use key words or
phrases. Typing in ‘David and Goliath’ gives you several videos to help.
Use a good Bible software or study Bible. Take advantage of the notes and commentary. I’ve
also typed in, ‘Commentary on 1 Samuel 17’ as an example. No copying, of course, but you’ll
find insights that will serve you in putting together your message.
A FEW TIPS
Always review the previous week while in a series. Why? Great question. Thanks for asking.
Not everyone attends every week. Doing a quick review of where you’ve been helps remind
everyone and catch others up who missed the week before. Doing so also means you need
less time preparing new material each week. I might take five minutes of a 30‐minute
message to review. This means I need prepare 25 minutes each week rather than 30.
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Keep folders for each series you plan on doing over the next year. As you come across
articles, resources, illustrations you simply put them in the folder. When it comes time to
prepare you pull out the folder and have several pieces to refer to for help.
You may be doing a dating series in February…who doesn’t!?!? But in July you may come
across a great illustration. File it away to pull out in February. This means less searching in
February for material.
Finally, bounce your sermon off students. You can do this in a couple of ways. Send an
outline or idea to students ahead of time asking for ideas or what sticks out to them. This
helps you connect with where they are on a specific topic.
Another idea is to ask students after a message for their feedback. Use their thoughts to
create your review for the next week. Either way you win!
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INCLUDING YOUR FAMILY IN YOUR MINISTRY
You will never regret making your family a part of the ministry. Travel with them, include
them in activities, ask their opinions, include your spouse in the planning, and most
importantly, love them in front of the students.
PRAYING FOR STUDENTS
Consider keeping a prayer journal listing every student who ever attends one of your
activities. Make a commitment to pray for them through graduation.
SHARING GOD’S WORD WITH STUDENTS
Whether you do this as a message, small group, or through social media you will never
regret sharing the living Word with students.
MEETING WITH STUDENTS
Although you may forget who you met with and why…they’ll never forget.
SEEING STUDENTS LIVES CHANGE
Nothing like seeing a student develop into a loving father, mother, minister, worker,
disciple.
GROWING AS A SERVANT LEADER
You’ll not grow tired of seeing God lead you and give you opportunities to use your gifts.
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SERVING THOSE WHO HAVE NOTHING TO GIVE BACK TO YOU
There are few things grander than seeing one’s own heart grow in the area of compassion.
WORKING WITH A TEAM
Lifelong friends and co‐workers in the Kingdom!
STAYING LONG ENOUGH TO SEE FRUIT
Few ever see this. Stay long enough to experience it in your own life.
SERVING YOUR LEADER
God honors you as you honor and serve those in authority over you
SUPPORTING PARENTS AS THEY RAISE THEIR TEENS
Maybe one of the most difficult jobs a parent will ever have is to raise a teen. Your support
means the world and sows good seed when you finally have a teen.
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I’d love to get your feedback on this eBook.
Simply email me at Contact@RW.com. Let me know if
and how this was helpful.
Let me know if there are other eBooks you’d find
helpful in the future.
Connect with Rod at Contact@RW.com to have him
speak at one of your events.
Finally, I want you to
know about two
resources available to
serve you in your
ministry.
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@RodWhitlock
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Your youth group has a culture. It may be by design or by default but truth be told, the way your
group engages is based on that culture. Creating a Culture contains 31 Strategies for making
students into life-long followers of Jesus. It is filled with concepts and practical ideas to help you
fulfill the call to see your students become active followers of Christ.
AND…
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@RodWhitlock
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PoWerWalk is a yearlong devotional to help your students grow in their devotion to Jesus.
PowerWalk
…races you through 192 captivating stories from the Bible.
…speeds you up if you fall behind. Life gets crazy for each of us. It allows time for you to catch up.
36. Tips to help you become a Great Youth Leader
@RodWhitlock
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…stretches your creativity as you express your devotion to God. You’ll read fascinating stories, have
opportunity to express your feelings, illustrate scenes, interact with the story and be challenged to live out
the stories you just read.
…exercises the disciplines of Scripture reading, prayer, worship, journaling, memorization of Scripture,
and note taking.
…walks you through the Bible on a chronological path.
Order copies of both at www.RodWhitlock.com.
Rod Whitlock loves Jesus, his family and coffee. He has had a crush on his wife for a long time
(it changes yearly) and together they enjoy serving Jesus, romantic comedies, and long strolls on
the beach…wait, what? Rod has been walking since he was one years old and visited Canada
twice. One day he wants to visit Oddville, Kentucky. He loves speaking to youth leaders and
teenagers and eating French toast kebabs while he watches cat videos. There’s also a rumor he
served as National Student Discipleship Director for National Youth Ministries developing
discipleship resources and coordinating Fine Arts, Bible Quiz and Young Adult ministries. (This
is being looked in to.)
