My Philosophy of Youth Ministry

By Tyrone Rinta in Uprising on 11/3/11

One may ask, “Why youth ministry?  What is the need for it?  Is it even biblical?” 

This is why I believe the Church needs a thriving youth ministry:

The Bible is very clear that we are to serve God in the early years of life.  Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them”.” (NIV)  Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (NIV) This responsibility to train young people rests primarily on the family; however with the number of Christians in America on the decline, it is imperative that the church reaches out to the world around it. It is especially important to focus on the youth of America.  The future of the church rests on the church’s ability to reach the younger generation.  If the church continues at its current rate, however, the future of the church will look dismal.  Recent statistics tell us that only 4-17% of the millennial generation are Bible believing Christians.  Couple this with the statistic that 85-90% of those who make a decision to live for Christ do so before the age of 25 and the need for thriving a youth ministry in the local church becomes even clearer.

I believe a thriving youth ministry must do three things well: evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development.  Those three aspects create a cycle of growth; and must continually occur for the ministry to thrive.  The only way to sustain this cycle is through prayer.  Prayer is the power that keeps it moving.  Through this cycle, we desire to equip and empower leaders to use their God-given gifts who will, in turn, equip the saints and build up the body of Christ. (Eph. 4:12, NASB)  The continuation of this cycle is a picture of the church being the church.  A church that brings about the movement that Jesus longs to see.  The church isn’t a building or even a service – it is a movement. It’s a movement of God’s people influencing their community with the love of Jesus.  Where the lost become found, the blind are able to see, and people are set free.  That’s the youth ministry that we want to see.

The church is at a crossroads, and in this pivotal moment it is imperative that godly, anointed leaders rise up and fight for the younger generation.  We are truly in a war.  Our enemy is serious and he is gaining ground.  Our Master has called us to not sit back but to storm the gates of hell.  This generation is not the “future” church – they are the church now!  They need Jesus now!  It’s important we fight now…before it’s too late. 

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