www.youthministryinstitute.org

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www.youthministryinstitute.org
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Toward a Basic Youth Ministry Strategy
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Basic Youth Ministry Strategy
Personal and Professional World of the Youth
Minister
Cultural Lens
Open Groups
Discipleship Groups
Evaluation Numerical Spiritual Ministry Kingdom
Purposes Evangelism Discipleship Ministry Worship
Fellowship
Ministry Teams
Missions
Bible Study
Success
Worship gatherings
Ministry with adults
Relationships with students
Administration
Community
Crowd
Core
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So what does a youth minister need to do all this?
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What Does it Take?

• Knowledge?
• Skill?
• Attitude?
• Experience?

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Competencies

• Survive and thrive tools!
• In the form of a question What should youth
  ministers in a local church be able to. . .?

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Big Picture Youth Ministers need to be able to

• grow spiritually
• lead ministries that lead students to Christ
• lead ministries that make disciples and
  disciplemakers
• attend to the details of day to day youth ministry

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• Presuppositions concerning youth ministers They
  are young, male, musically talented, charismatic,
  entertaining, and culturally relevant in
  appearanceand churches searching for a youth
  minister have fallen prey to the stereotype.

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Some Competencies we have identified (so far)

• Personal Skills
• People skills
• Leadership
• Administration
• Biblical, Theological, Pastoral

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Personal Skills

• Develop and consistently implement a Christian
  work ethic.
• Hard work can cover a lot of weaknesses
• Hard work to the neglect of your relationship
  with God and your family is a weakness

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Personal Skills (cont)

• Be able to articulate with clarity ones call to
  ministry/youth ministry. Ministry is too hard to
  be unsure of what you are supposed to do with
  your life
• Interact effectively with senior pastor, staff
  members, and church leaders.
• Perceive self as a part of the ministry team who
  leads the faith community.

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• Supervise volunteers and/or interns.
• Be aware of and implement a strategy for reducing
  personal and ministry-related risk.
• Manage/mediate conflict.
• See the need for and be able to stay refreshed
  spiritually.

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People Skills

• Build relationships with teenagers and help
  teenagers build relationships with their peers,
  their families and their leaders.
• Provide short-term counseling for teenagers and
  adults and understand the processes of helping
  individuals and groups in crisis, including
  referral.
• Enlist, train, and encourage adult volunteers who
  will help in the implementation of the youth
  ministry.
• Help youth leaders and teenagers develop coping
  skills.

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Leadership

• Develop and articulate a vision for youth
  ministry in the local church.
• Understand and interpret the youth culture, both
  locally and globally.
• Design and implement need based, ongoing
  educational programming which, through adult
  volunteers, addresses the basic functions of the
  church including Bible study, discipleship,
  ministry, worship, evangelism and fellowship.

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• Discern both perceived and felt needs among youth
  in their church region in order to direct
  relevant ministry.
• Perceived needs include grounding in the
  doctrines considered essential by the local
  church necessary life skills as seen by adults
• Felt needs include necessary life skills as seen
  by youth life skills suggested by current events

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Administration

• Provide leadership for strategic planning and
  structures through which to implement the vision.
• Work effectively (negotiate) with and through the
  church staff.
• Enlist, equip and empower adult volunteers to
  serve effectively in youth ministry.
• Develop potential leadership in youth and adults

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• Implement a balanced youth ministry calendar
  flowing
• Vision to strategy
• Strategy to implementation
• Implementation to evaluation
• Balance purposes and content areas in programming

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Biblical, Theological, Pastoral

• Study and interpret the Scripture using various
  study tools.
• Communicate scriptural truth in large and/or
  small groups.
• Embrace and articulate right doctrine as part of
  mission and strategy.
• Appreciate the urgency and necessity of pastoral
  care in the church, especially in the youth
  ministry.
• Grasp the mandate to balance discipleship and
  evangelism regardless of personal giftedness

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Trends I see for youth ministers

• Youth ministers cannot afford to be lazy
• Technology has made personal time management even
  more difficult.
• The culture is scary. Relevance is necessary.
• The temptation to engage in private sin is
  greater (and easier) than ever before.
• Biblical understanding is critical.
• Interpersonal relationships are still the key.

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