How youth ministry in Church shaped
Proverbs 22:6 (KJV) Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart
Proverbs 22:6 is dear to me because it genuinely reflects the effect the youth ministry had on me. When I immigrated to the United States, I was uprooted from the Church I knew all my life. So, I struggled initially. I can say that the teachings and the word of God that was planted firmly in my heart helped me find my way back ♥️.
1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV) Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith , and in purity.
This is absolutely true. Youth ministry sets an example for believers. For example, in terms of purity, I will discuss more of this later in the post.
7 BENEFITS OF YOUTH MINISTRY IN THE CHURCH
Here are the benefits of youth ministry!
1. Role Models and Mentors
When I turned 13 years old, I joined Youth Church, and I was super super excited to see older youth who had graduated from youth church and came to speak to us. They were on fire for God, and they would often accompany us in our church camps. One, in particular, was called Seth! He was really outgoing and would fearlessly share his testimonies which were relatable.
I found that at this age, youth relate more to their peers than their parents. That is why they need to be around positive role models and mentors who will plant good seed into their lives!
2. Teachings and support on purity and courtship
I totally had to put this down because our Church was big on this. In Youth Church, we were taught a lot about purity and courtship.
When I was around youth church members, it felt like a safe place for me. I didn’t feel judged for my decision to abstain, and we would openly talk about it.
Much later, we started to talk about courtship.
Some of the members of my youth church got married to each other and I smile every time when I see them flourishing in their marriages.
The Church really invested in lessons and bible studies on courtship! I felt sad when I left Kenya at this time because I missed these key lessons that came with it.
3. Engagement, Fun, and travel opportunities.
Some people think Church is low energy and boring and that perhaps leads them to look to the world for its idea of fun.
However, let me tell you……Youth Church is so much fun! Whether it’s youth church in Kenya or U.S.A, this rings 100% true! I can tell you that you will have many fun options when it comes to travelling, fun and engagement in general.
I remember we used to have other churches from other countries visit us and vice versa, and every youth member would fit in so well. We all wanted the same thing- engagement and fun.
The most important thing about this is the fact that we are in a safe space.
4. Critical Thinking Skills
In church camps, I remember we used to have numerous activities that would challenge us to think critically.
Our church leaders were very creative in organizing games and studies to allow us to apply biblical principles.
5. Healthy friendships
Being surrounded by other people with the same goals allowed me to be surrounded by healthy friendships. My church friends and I have been able to maintain a strong bond. This is because the love of God backs the friendship.
When I was in Church, I remember visiting friends who had lost loved ones, and we would collectively work with our church leaders to organize how we would adequately support them. This sets precedence on how we should treat friendships even as adults.
6. Responsibility and service!
Every church member can attest that there are opportunities to serve in Church. People can serve as youth ushers, camp leaders, choir members, etc.
Often, church leaders would ask for volunteers or even approach someone if they weren’t aware of their gifts.
So for sure, numerous church activities promote youth involvement.
7. Identity & Identifying gifts
Youth Church can be a great place to find one’s identity in Christ and identify their gifts too!
Over the course of a couple of years, I know we noticed people identify gifts of singing, leadership, organizing, etc. This is because we were constantly exposed to different opportunities that we could explore.
