Youth ministry
Youth ministry, also commonly referred to as youth group, is an age-specific religious ministry and is the way in which a faith group, or other religious organization involves and engages with the young people who attend its place of worship, or live in its community. Youth ministry will usually encompass one or more of the following:
- Encouraging young people who profess a faith to learn more about it and become more involved in spiritual life.
- Providing open youth clubs or other activities for the common good of the young people, sometimes without an overtly religious agenda.
As well as organizing events and activities, youth ministry will usually include some form of religious education and a pastoral oversight of the young people.
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Evangelical Protestantism [edit]
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It has been suggested that Youth ministry (Evangelical) be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since May 2013. |
In Protestant churches, the term "ministry" often implies the service of an ordained minister or pastor. In youth ministry, however, this is not always the case — a youth ministry leader may be an ordained member of the clergy, an employed lay person, or a volunteer. Titles applied to youth ministry leaders vary widely as well, even within denominations, using terms such as "Youth Minister", "Youth Pastor", or simply "Youth Worker".
Unitarian Universalism [edit]
There are organizations within the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (the primary organization of Unitarian Universalist congregations in the United States), as well as within the Canadian Unitarian Council (the national body for Unitarian Universalists in Canada), which minister to and with youth, of which Young Religious Unitarian Universalists (YRUU) is the largest and most apparent. YRUU strongly emphasizes youth empowerment, along with youth-adult partnership. There are also specific youth-oriented programs, such as Coming of Age, and Our Whole Lives, a lifespan sexuality education program with a youth age group.
Education and career path [edit]
Youth ministers may be trained in an education specifically to work with youth. Many Bible and Christian universities and colleges now offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in youth ministry. While youth ministry used to be considered a stepping stone on the way to becoming priests, nuns and other important vocations, the trend is currently moving toward treating it as its own vocation.
