Success Through Purpose

Defining a Youth Ministry Purpose Statement

How does a youth leader accomplish what is truly important in the lives of the teens with whom he is working?

I. Understand the role of being a true leader. There are certain implications to the word leader.  Matthew 4:18-20 gives us an excellent example of leadership.

  1. The leader is pursuing an objective (Matthew 4:18-19).
  2. The leader is responsible for setting and maintaining the objective (John 5:30).
  3. The leader motivates followers to respond to direction (Matthew 4:20). He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk.—John Maxwell
  4. The leader gives direction and instruction to followers on how to attain the objective.

As a leader, you must accept the role and lead.  You are not merely a chaperone to keep the parents happy, or just “wheels” to take teens where they want to go.  The cause of Jesus Christ is worth a lifetime of sacrificial service.  Lived in joy, that life beckons others to enlist in this worthy endeavor.

II. Clearly define a biblical purpose of youth ministry. Ask at least these five questions, adapted from Doug Fields’ book The Purpose Driven Youth Ministry, when identifying purpose:

  1. Why does the youth group exist?
  2. What does God want our youth group to be?
  3. What are we to do as a youth group?
  4. How are we to do it?
  5. What should teens know when they leave the youth group?

Youth leaders need to have a focused and defined purpose that leads to attainable goals, which give them direction and guide their decisions.  In youth work, many people are placed in leadership because of a need.  Often the leader has been drafted without foundational teaching and instruction on how to be successful with youth, or even without teaching on what the objectives and expectations for success are.  Many try to fulfill the job without a clear focus on the purpose of the job.

III. Communicate and fulfill the purpose of youth ministry.

  1. State the purpose in a manner that can be easily remembered.
  2. Ask the question, “What are we trying to accomplish?”
  3. Teach it to the parents and their teens.
  4. Measure all you do by going back to a particular objective of the purpose. Discard anything that does not fit within that purpose.
  5. Prayerfully set goals to accomplish.