Youth Ministry Lesson - 17 Places to Find Potential Leaders for Your Youth Ministry

Youth Ministry Lesson - 17 Places
to Find Potential Leaders for Your
Youth Ministry
www.CreativeYouthIdeas.com
www.CreativeSermonIdeas.com

Every church needs a team of people to work with the youth minister /
youth pastor to minister to its teenagers. Learn 17 places where you
can find potential youth leaders for your youth ministry team.
For most youth ministries, the summer months are very busy. A lot of
youth ministers are conducting summer camps, organizing youth
retreats, leading mission trips, and taking youth on special outings. No
youth leader can do it alone and even if you are one of those who think
you can do it alone, don’t.

Youth Pastors Need to Build a Youth Ministry Team
Building up a committed team of leaders and helpers for youth
ministry will provide you valuable insights, additional talents, and more
eyes, hands and footwork to keep the youth program running
smoothly. As you invest in leaders it also develops shared ownership of
the youth program that insures it continues effectively for many years
to come even if you move on to a different church or ministry yourself.

Here are just a few of the benefits of building a youth ministry team:
Communication
When parents and church leaders are part of the team and understand the
goals and programs, it makes it so much easier to communicate those goals
to the congregation as well as avoid misunderstandings.
Commitment
Involvement generates commitment. When people see themselves as
stakeholders in the ministry, they tend to be more committed to making it
successful.

Care
It’s much easier for a group of people to attend to the varied
and sometimes overwhelming needs of youth and show care on
a much more personal level than for a single youth leader trying
to care for a large youth group. For youth, time is important and
the larger the youth group, the less time you will have for
individuals in the group.

So how can you get started building a youth ministry team?
In the book, “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, he explains several
powerful ideas for any company or organization. One of those
principles is very appropriate for youth ministry “Get the right
people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right
people in the right seats – then figure out where to drive it.” Getting
the right team in the right roles is the most important part of
building a youth ministry team.

Here are 17 places to find potential youth leaders for your youth
ministry team.
1. Surveys
Conduct a Talent / Interest Surveys for the entire congregation. Have
the various roles and responsibilities for all church ministries listed.
When new people join he church as members, also ask them to fill out
Talent/ Interest Surveys. You’ll want to get to know them and observe
their Christian walk and commitment over time, but that is true of
anyone you consider for a youth ministry role.

2. Committed Church Members
Ask currently active Bible Study or Sunday school members to
become youth leaders. Ask current cell group members to
become youth leaders. People who are already committed to
the church often make great additions to the youth ministry
team.

3. Ask for Recommendations
Ask the current youth leaders to recommend Potential Leaders
from the congregation. Chances are, the youth leaders you have
now also know other friends in the church who would be great
leaders. You can also ask the teens in your church, “Who in the
church do you think would make a great youth leader?” Youth
are very aware of the people in the church who already make
them feel welcome and loved.

Ask Sunday school members (Or Bible Study Leaders) to recommend
potential leaders. They are very aware of those in their studies and
classes that have a mature or growing faith that would be great Bible
Teachers or Sunday School Teachers. Additionally, ask the current
church leadership to recommend potential youth leaders. Their circle
of relationships may include many people that are not too familiar to
you, but who would make great leaders. Don’t forget to ask deacons
or elders in addition to the other pastoral leaders.

4. Existing Short term Programs
One of these is Vacation Bible School. Many churches hold these programs
for children in the church. It’s a short commitment and usually gets a lot of
volunteers. Some of those working with the older children might make
great youth leaders as well.
5. Previous Leaders
Many people serve in leadership positions and then at times take break
due to family or work commitments and other various reasons. In time
they are often willing to jump back into a ministry position if asked.

6. Committed people who aren’t already doing something.
It sometimes seem that there are the few same people in the church
doing all the work. Ministry leaders see their commitment and talents
and give them more to do. But sometimes, there are others who aren’t
really ambitious enough to volunteer who just need a little nudge to get
them involved. It’s much easier to teach a committed member a few
skills in ministering to youth than to teach commitment to someone who
has the interest but lacks the commitment.

7. Existing Lists
Take out the Church membership roll, the Sunday School Rosters,
Cell group rosters, participant lists in various church training
programs and ministry opportunities and read through the
names. If you just try to list form your own memory you will miss
many of the precious souls who are often present, but not
foremost in your thoughts. Many of these are valuable gems
simply waiting to be shaped and polished!

8. Returning Church Members
Previous students who have gone off to college and come back for a
summer break or having completed their college education often make
excellent youth leaders. They may need a little more guidance but they
make up for the lack of experience with an abundance of energy.
Returning servicemen and women also make great youth leaders. They
typically are very disciplined and work very hard.

9. Persons attending training conferences and conventions
The fact that these people are taking the extra effort to grow
and mature their faith makes them good candidates for
potential youth positions. It may also reflect a more flexible
schedule that is helpful when serving youth.

10. Training Courses
Offer a training course for youth workers, parents, or anyone else
that wants to better understand youth. Those that attend the
course obviously must have an interest and some of them might
make great additions to your youth ministry team. You can offer
general leadership classes or potential Teacher classes etc. as
well.

11. People in administrative positions
Members often serve in administrative positions because they
want to contribute but are not yet ready to take a ministry role.
For many this is the first step into ministry and once they gain
confidence and understanding they are ready to move on to
something more hands on.

12. People who work with youth outside the church
Coaches, school teachers, school administrators and many other
people work with youth outside the church. Some of them may
be looking for church to be a break away from the routine work
with youth. But there are still others who would welcome the
opportunity to minister to you at church and youth functions.

13. People who are Leaders in their Careers
There are business men and women in every church whose work
requires leadership skills. They can be leaders in a variety of
situations. There may also be others who are leaders in the
community as well. Give them an opportunity to be spiritual leaders
to your teens.

14. People with Free time
Retired Persons often have lots of time and wisdom to contribute
to any youth program. They may not have the energy but they
certainly have lots of love and affection. You can often find
meaningful roles for them in your youth program. Some examples
might be writing personal postcards, praying for youth, and for
those with a bit more energy and mobility can often put their
younger counterparts to shame in serving God.

15. New Church Members
When people transfer from another church, their
churches may highlight their previous service as part of
the recommendation or transfer of membership.
Nurturing new members in a New Members class also
should include some teaching on discovering gifts and
finding places of service in the church.

16. Contributors to the Youth Ministry
There are often people in the church that contribute to the
youth ministry by providing transport, food, places for
meetings, or even money. It is such people that provide a
backbone for many of the youth groups. Even so, some might
be willing to become a little more personally involved if asked.

17. Parents
It’s rare that a parent makes a good youth leader in the church if that role
is serving over his or her own teens. During adolescence, teens start
looking for significant role models outside the immediate family. Teenage
years can also be turbulent and emotionally charged, thus church can be
an oasis away from that trouble. If both teen and parent are ok with it, it
works out fantastic. Biblical responsibility for raising Godly men and
women, after all, rests with the parents. But for many parents and youth,
this simply isn’t going to be a god idea yet. But there are often other
leadership roles with a different class or age group, which are very
suitable even when a parent has teens in the youth program.

A Final Note
I wanted to give you 10 places to find youth leaders and help for your
youth ministry, but as I started writing more ideas came to mind.
Simply remember, we are one body of Christ with many parts and we
are all different but also all needed. Pray for God’s guidance to show
you those to approach and that he would steer their hearts toward
places to serve in your ministry. Personally, I believe that there is a
place for everyone in the church. We just need to get the right people
into the right seats and let God do the driving on our journey
heavenward!

Creative Youth Ideas
Camp Bible Study Series
“Who Do You Say that I AM?”
www.creativeyouthideas.com/resources/whodoyousay.html
-> Tell me about “Who Do You Say that I AM?”
Jesus asked the disciples, "Who do others
say that I am?" It was easy to answer
because it required no conviction, no
commitment, and no risk. But then he
follows that question with another, "Who
do YOU say that I am?"

Live the Fruitful, Abundant Life
Jesus Promised. Great for youth camps or
weekly Youth Bible Study. There are 7
Primary Bible study Sessions in the series.
www.creativeyouthideas.com/resources/fruitofthespirit.html
-> Tell me about “Fruit Of the Spirit”
Creative Youth Ideas
Youth Camp Bible Study Series
“Fruit Of the Spirit”

Youth Ministry Lesson - 17 Places to Find Potential Leaders for Your Youth Ministry

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