By Michael Krauszer
Every church should be focused on reaching the next generation. If they do not, it is likely the church will never grow, and even more likely that it will eventually die out. The Bible talks about teaching younger children the ways of the Lord for a reason; it’s necessary for the health of the church and for society as a whole. If the church does not pour the gospel into younger souls, then who will? But, assuming the church is already focused on reaching younger people, the question then becomes: how can they get them involved in serving at the church? Here are 7 tips for getting youth involved in serving at your church.
7. Ask them
If you really want younger people to start serving in the church, ask them to do so! Don’t assume that they know they can and should be serving in some capacity. Have some announcements that will specifically target the younger age group you are trying to get, whether that’s just High School, or even Middle School through college. Whatever the case may be, it’s important that you provide enough information for them to actually know that the church wants their involvement.
6. Connect with them through social media
Most people are on social media, especially the youth inside of your church. So, if you build a relationship with them in that atmosphere, they might be more prone to start getting involved in the church. To them, it’s like meeting them on territory where they can feel comfortable and at ease, while also making them feel pretty good about their church who finds it important enough to be on social media in order to reach more people.
5. Have a youth pastor
Having a Youth Pastor can be very beneficial for your church. In essence, they are the pastor that oversees the youth ministry (or ministries) and consistently teaches and mentors the students. This way, the students are being taught the Word of God in a way that relates to them. It’s not changing the gospel to fit their appetites; it’s just communicating it in a way that they would best understand. When this happens, many youth members will be stirred up and take initiative to serve inside of the church.
4. Get families involved
In order to reach many younger members and get them serving, much of the time it will start with the parents. If the parents are serving and mobilized, they will hopefully instill those values in their children. Plus, many younger people (unless they are old enough) will have to have their parents drive them to church in order to serve. So, the way to get the youth involved is to let the parents know! However, there is a caveat here; make sure that the kids actually want to serve and are not just being forced by mom or dad. When people serve under obligation, it’s usually evident and negatively effects those around.
3. Have the pastor visit the youth groups
Sometimes youth groups can feel disconnected from the church as a whole. They often have their own worship sessions, teachings, and even own areas of service that are considered for them. All of this is great, but can often make some kids disconnected from the church at large. One way to combat that is to let them have some time with the lead pastor (or senior pastor). It might not be one-on-one, but even having the pastor show up at the youth group can be a big step in the right direction.
2. Get the adults in the congregation serving
If the adults in your church are not serving, it’s unlikely that the younger generation will start doing it. Somebody must take the lead and be the example; it should be the older members who teach the younger ones, not the other way around.
1. Teach the gospel
If your church is faithfully teaching the gospel, members will grow spiritually. As a result, the overflow of that will be servants who are willingly working to expand the Kingdom and pass the Gospel onto others. It often creates a domino effect and the youth are not exempt from it. Teaching the Bible faithfully is one of the greatest things your church can do.
Conclusion
If you want younger people serving inside of your church, it’s important to have a plan that you can put in place to make it happen. Yes, prayer is a vital part (of course!), but that does not exempt the church from sitting back and doing nothing. Hopefully some of the ideas listed above will help your church inspire the youth to get involved serving!
The above article, “7 Tips for Getting Youth Involved in Serving At Your Church” is written by Michael Krauszer. The article was excerpted from: www.mediamagazine.com web site. October 2014.
The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.
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