hen we think or talk about establishing a youth group, it is important to begin by asking the question, “What is it that the Lord desires of us in this ministry?” We must ask the question, “Has He perhaps already given us a model for ministry and a structure that we can, by His grace, reproduce in our church? Our goal is not to grow a youth group, but to see the first century church ideals and convictions reproduced in the context of twenty-first century teens. Our God has already given us everything pertaining to life and godliness including the principles and models of ministry in the scriptures.

Models of Ministry. These models are mainly about the overall scope and structure of the local church, but they also contain sound principles for ministries within the church. All we need is to look to the Scriptures. For example, Ephesians 4:11-12 says,

In your question, you stated that you already had administration people and Bible teachers. The first question then that you want to ask is, “Will they fit into a structure of equipping students for the work of the ministry?” Are they equipping these young saints to do the work of the ministry? The second question is whether there are some missing pieces in your overall ministry leadership structure. Let us take a closer look at each one of these questions.

Are They Effective Now? The first question asks whether your current leaders are actually being effective at equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry. This is every leader's goal. It is called making disciples. I like to use the phrase “student ministry” versus “youth group.” It has a completely different emphasis. “Student ministry” is much more purposeful, active, engaging, and spiritual. It carries with it the idea of students mentoring for character, instructed for doctrine, and equipped for competency so that they will engage in effective ministry. The leaders (i.e. adults, mentors, pastors, leaders) are there to model, mentor, and equip these young ministers in Christ-like character, sound doctrine, and effective methods to reach lost peers and make disciples of their own (Matthew 28:18-20). This is clearly the ministry model of Jesus Himself. According to many scholars and experts on the life of Christ, somewhere around half of His original disciples were teenagers when He began His discipling ministry to them. This was the original “student ministry” or “youth group.”