Is Your Youth Ministry Part Of The Solution? Or Part Of The Problem?

There are times in my life when I ask the question, “Are you part of the solution? Or part of the problem?” I ask myself this. I ask my children this. I even find myself evaluating leaders and organizations using this framework.

What would happen if you were to ask this question of your ministry?

We want teenagers to grow into more mature followers of Christ. We want their faith to be real. But the problem is that there are a lot of variables that work against this process. There are factors that keep their faith complacent. Or, worse, lead them astray.

Is your youth ministry part of the solution? Is what you’re doing helping lead teenagers closer to Christ? Or is your youth ministry part of the problem?

Does a program-driven youth ministry approach add to the ultra-busy, over-committed, cluttered-calendar lifestyle our teenagers live?

Does an entertainment-heavy youth ministry approach contribute to the mental noise our teenagers are awash with, cluttering an authentic pursuit of Christ?

Does a personality-centered youth ministry approach have teenagers more invested in the guy or girl up front and less on Christ?

Does an inward-focused ministry mindset keep teenagers from engaging with the lost in their community, doing and speaking the Gospel with those who need it most?

Most of the youth ministers I encounter are not part of the problem. Most youth workers play an important role as part of the solution. Most youth workers I know help anchor teenagers to their faith, selflessly investing in their lives, and showing them the way to a deeper love of Christ.

But maybe some of you see aspects of your youth ministry in the scenarios above. If you do, now is a great time to rethink your approach.

And it may start with this question: Is what we do here, at our church, part of the solution? Or is some of what we do part of the problem?

Be brave enough to ask it, and bold enough to do something about it if you don’t like the answer.