How to Set Up Your Youth Ministry for an Impactful New School Year

How to Set Up Your Youth Ministry for an Impactful New School Year | Beyond The Youth Room • Ep. 43

Ellen Hembree • August 5, 2024

Setting Up Your Ministry for an Impactful New School Year: Insights from the Beyond the Youth Room Podcast

Introduction:

Welcome to the Beyond the Youth Room podcast! Our hosts, Keith and Ryne, are in it with you as they approach the start of a new school year. Their aim is to equip you with insights and strategies to ensure a successful launch for your student ministry.

Kicking Off a New School Year:

Keith and Ryne have been in youth ministry for a significant time—Keith for over 20 years and Ryne for 6 years. Each new school year brings its unique challenges and opportunities. Summer can be a tough season for youth ministry, but as they've always emphasized, the gospel moves forward regardless of the season.

Evaluating Your Current Position:

One crucial aspect of preparing for a new school year is understanding where your group currently stands. Youth groups often change significantly year over year. It's essential to assess the spiritual maturity and needs of your students. Keith shared how his church uses a model from Dan Spader’s book, "4 Chair Discipling," to categorize students into four spiritual stages: non-believer, believer, worker, and disciple-maker. Through one-on-one evaluations and student surveys, they gauge where each student stands spiritually. This helps tailor their ministry efforts effectively.

Setting a Bold Vision:

With an understanding of where your group is, the next step is to set a bold vision for the new school year. This vision should be ambitious enough that it requires reliance on God to achieve it. For example, in Ryne's ministry, we aim for a significant number of gospel conversations and salvations. Keith mentioned that one year, they shifted their focus to activate complacent believers into serving and sharing the gospel, resulting in a noticeable spiritual growth within just a few months.

Planning and Systems:

Having a bold vision is just the beginning. The key to success lies in planning and establishing systems to achieve that vision. This involves setting specific goals, creating a calendar with milestones, and ensuring you have the right people and training in place. For instance, adult leader training and recruitment, as well as student leader training, play a crucial role in sustaining and growing the ministry.

Personal and Leadership Growth:

Leaders need to evaluate themselves and determine what changes or growth are necessary to lead effectively. Whether it’s becoming a better delegator, improving time management, or growing spiritually, personal development is essential for the ministry’s success.

Conclusion:

As you gear up for a new school year, focus on understanding your current position, setting a bold and God-sized vision, and meticulously planning your steps to achieve it. Remember, your ultimate goal is to make disciples who make disciples, advancing God's kingdom through our student ministries.

Final Thoughts:

We hope these insights help you as you prepare for an impactful new school year. For more resources and training, visit edgeclub.org/training. Thank you for tuning in, and the best compliment you can give us is to share this podcast with others who might benefit from our content. Until next time, keep pushing forward and trusting in God’s plan for your ministry.

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5 Youth Ministry Myths YOU Probably Believe

By Ellen Hembree • July 1, 2025

Five Youth Ministry Myths Busted: Unpacking Hidden Assumptions for Deeper Student Growth Check out the podcast here . For years, many of us in youth ministry have held onto certain "truths" that seemed foundational. But what if these deeply ingrained beliefs are actually hindering the spiritual growth, leadership, and impact of our students? In this post, inspired by a recent discussion with Ryne , we're diving into five common youth ministry myths that might be negatively impacting your work and revealing the liberating truths behind them. Myth 1: Students are the Church of Tomorrow This is a common refrain, but it's a limiting one. While students certainly will lead the church in the future, the more critical truth is that students are the church of today . This isn't just about giving them roles; it's about recognizing the Holy Spirit's immediate work in their lives. As Ryne highlighted, there's "no junior Holy Spirit." A seven-year-old who trusts Christ has the same Spirit living within them as any adult. Think of King Josiah, who began his reign at just eight years old and became one of Israel's most faithful kings. Or consider Jesus's instruction to "let the little children come to me, for such as the kingdom of heaven." If our primary goal is to make disciples, and we know that most people make a decision for Christ during their youth, then investing heavily in kids and student ministry isn't just a good idea—it's essential for the church's health now and in the future. We need to equip them to be the church today, not just someday. Myth 2: You Need a Large Youth Group to Make a Difference Many youth pastors feel the pressure to grow their numbers, believing that a larger group equates to greater impact. However, this is a pervasive myth. The reality is that God moves through the faithful, not necessarily the large groups . The average youth group size is often cited as around 12—a number with some interesting biblical parallels! Think of the impactful stories of D.L. Moody and Billy Graham, both of whom were led to the Lord by Sunday school teachers with only a handful of students. David Livingstone, the missionary, saw only one convert in his lifetime of faithful service, yet his groundwork laid the foundation for widespread Christianity across Sub-Saharan Africa. God's increase may not always be visible in your lifetime, but faithfulness in the small things often yields exponential, unseen results. Myth 3: Students Need More Theology Before Being Used This myth suggests that students need to accumulate a vast amount of biblical knowledge or attend countless classes before they can truly live out their faith or share the Gospel. The liberating truth is: If they know enough to believe, they know enough to share. Consider the woman at the well, who immediately went to tell her town about Jesus after their conversation, or Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, whose encounter in a chariot led to the spread of the Gospel in Ethiopia. Even the slave girl who told Naaman about Elijah—she had "bad theology" in the sense that it was God, not Elijah, who could heal him, yet her simple faith led to Naaman finding God. When students are encouraged to share their faith, even with incomplete knowledge, it often deepens their dependence on the Lord and prompts them to seek answers to questions they didn't even know they had. Students, especially those in public schools, are surrounded by thousands of peers daily—a mission field far larger than most adults encounter regularly. Leveraging this time for them to share their faith can lead to incredible growth and impact. Myth 4: Youth Ministry Success Equals Church Attendance After Graduation While we certainly desire for students to remain connected to the local church after they graduate, measuring youth ministry success solely by post-graduation attendance is a false metric. The true goal is lifelong transformation and a genuine commitment to living for Christ. Studies have even suggested that a significant portion of regular churchgoers may not have a true relationship with Christ. The church isn't successful when it's full; it's successful when it's faithful. Our aim isn't to create lifelong "consumers" of church services, but to equip students to be active, growing, and serving members of the local body of Christ. Are they serving? Are they growing spiritually? These are better indicators of lifelong transformation than mere retention. Myth 5: Students Don't Want Authority In an increasingly uncertain world, it's a myth that students inherently reject authority. In reality, they crave guidance . What they reject is hypocrisy. Post-COVID studies revealed a significant decline in trust in institutions like government and healthcare, but one group that maintained high trust among teens was "elders"—those older than them. Students are looking for authentic, relational authority figures who will speak truth to them, even if it's challenging or uncomfortable. They want to know what's true, and they will flock to those who are willing to share it with love and integrity. These five myths have perhaps been unknowingly shaping our approaches to youth ministry. By shifting our perspective and embracing these truths, we can better equip and empower our students for genuine spiritual growth and impactful lives for Christ, today. What myths have you believed that have been busted in your ministry journey? Share your thoughts in the comments below!