As youth leaders, we all want to see students continue walking with Christ long after they leave our ministries. But how do we ensure that their faith sticks beyond graduation? It's a tough question, and one we’re constantly trying to answer. Today, I’m sharing some insights from a recent conversation with Ryne about this very challenge.

Students Have Always Left the Faith

One thing Ryne brought up, which was quite profound, is the fact that people have been "leaving the faith" for over a thousand years. It’s not a new issue. Even when Jesus walked the earth, the crowds followed Him—until He told them what it really meant to be a disciple. At that point, many turned away. This historical reality should remind us that students leaving the faith isn’t necessarily a reflection of our efforts or programs.

But that doesn’t mean we’re off the hook. We still have a responsibility to help students build a faith that lasts. Research points to ways we can better equip them to hold on to their beliefs through life's transitions.

The Power of Sharing Their Faith

One of Ryne's key takeaways is that students need to start sharing their faith as soon as possible. The sooner they begin, the quicker they’ll grow in their understanding of what they believe. Yes, they might get some things wrong or say awkward things, but that experiential learning is far more impactful than sitting in a classroom or attending youth group for years without action.

Ryne shared an interesting story from an article about someone who was juggling two worlds—getting phone calls from parents during youth group while also receiving calls about drug deals. It highlights the complexity of some students' lives and how desperately they need guidance that speaks to real-life situations. By encouraging them to share their faith, we help them integrate their beliefs into all areas of their life, not just the "churchy" ones.

Relying on the Holy Spirit

Another point Ryne mentioned was that, although believers have the Holy Spirit, we’re not always under its influence in our daily decisions. It’s one thing to have the Spirit, but another to live filled with the Spirit—actively seeking His guidance in our minute-by-minute choices.

Paul's words in Ephesians 5, where he contrasts being filled with the Spirit against being drunk on wine, are a reminder of this. It’s a continual process of surrendering control. As youth leaders, we can teach our students how to rely on the Holy Spirit, showing them how to cultivate a faith that’s dynamic and alive in their everyday lives.

Avoiding the Trap of Maintenance Mode

Sometimes, we’re tempted to focus so much on keeping the students we have that we lose sight of the bigger mission: reaching those who aren’t even in the faith yet. Ryne pointed out that this can be a strategy of the enemy—to distract us from outreach by making us overly concerned with retention. Yes, it’s essential to disciple the students who are already in our care, but we should never forget the countless young people outside the church who still need to hear the gospel.

Long-Term Success: It Takes Time

In youth ministry, it’s hard to gauge long-term success when students are only in the ministry for a few years. Ryne is in his sixth year of youth ministry, which makes him a seasoned veteran, but he’s still waiting to see the long-term fruits of his efforts. Will the students he’s discipling today still be walking with Christ in 10 or 20 years? Only time will tell.

The important thing is to stay the course, trust the process, and continually point students toward a faith that’s active, shared, and Spirit-filled. As youth leaders, we may not always see immediate results, but the seeds we plant today can grow into lasting faith tomorrow.

How to Set Your Students Up for Success After Youth Group

As youth leaders, we care deeply about ensuring that students not only grow in their faith during youth group but also maintain it after they leave. The challenge, however, is navigating a lot of alarmist statistics that claim the vast majority of students will leave their faith "never to return." But, as Ryne pointed out, this type of research is often skewed. We can't definitively say that students will never come back to their faith, and sometimes these numbers are presented to sell curriculum or books rather than offer real solutions.

That said, there’s no denying that some students do walk away from their faith after high school. While it's easy to focus solely on retaining those already in our youth groups, we must also look at the bigger picture: how do we reach the students who aren't even in the faith yet?

Thankfully, there’s solid research that gives us clues about how to best prepare students to continue walking with Christ after they leave youth ministry. The Fuller Youth Institute's research, particularly highlighted in the book Sticky Faith, focuses on the reasons why some students stay in their faith through college and beyond. Here are three key findings that can help us set up students for success:

1. Build Multiple Adult Discipleship Relationships

Students who stick with their faith after high school often have discipleship relationships with adults outside of their parents. While churches typically focus on building dynamic youth groups, it’s crucial that teenagers also build relationships with adults of all ages. Having a support system of adult mentors who invest in their spiritual development can make a huge difference.

These relationships can come from small group leaders, teachers, or other mature Christians in the church. When students see faith modeled by adults they respect, they’re more likely to follow that example as they move into adulthood.

2. Prepare Students to Connect with a Church in College

One of the most important factors in helping students maintain their faith is ensuring they have a plan for connecting with a church when they go to college. Research found that students who had a strategy to get involved in a church within the first two weeks of arriving on campus were far more likely to stay in their faith.

It’s not enough to hope that they’ll figure it out once they settle into college life. Parents and leaders should talk early and often about the importance of finding a faith community. Help students research churches and ministries near their college and even connect them with people in those ministries before they leave for school.

3. Teach a Faith that’s More than Behavior

One of the biggest pitfalls we face in youth ministry is overemphasizing external behaviors as markers of faith. Teaching students the “do’s and don’ts” of Christian living is important, but if we reduce Christianity to a list of rules, we risk losing the essence of the gospel.

According to the Fuller Youth Institute’s findings, many students view their faith as something external—like a “Jesus jacket” they put on when they’re doing the right things and take off when they mess up. This view can be dangerous because it causes them to feel guilt and shame when they fail, leading them to abandon their faith altogether. Instead, we must teach students that faith is about a transformative relationship with Jesus. Yes, following Christ impacts our behavior, but it's rooted in something far deeper than what we do or don’t do.

Empowering Students to Internalize Their Faith Through Action: A Leadership Perspective

As leaders, one of our biggest concerns is watching students either walk away from their faith or, conversely, thrive as they move forward in life. Over the years, I’ve seen both. Some students are no longer walking with the Lord, while others are thriving—whether as stay-at-home moms, businessmen, or in various other paths, all while actively serving God. It’s clear there are lessons to learn here that could benefit other youth leaders.

A crucial aspect of this is the internalization of faith. Often, the missing piece in a student's faith journey is a deeper interaction with the Holy Spirit. Many students approach the Holy Spirit in a vague way, asking, “Who is the Holy Spirit, and what does He do?” While we teach the Trinity and emphasize Jesus’ role as Savior, understanding the role of the Holy Spirit as a permanent presence in the life of a believer is key. Ephesians 1 refers to the Holy Spirit as a "guarantor of our faith," like a down payment from God that secures our heavenly inheritance. This understanding shifts when we see that in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is a permanent presence for all believers, unlike in the Old Testament, where His presence was often locational and temporary.

Paul's words in Ephesians 5—"be filled with the Spirit"—offer another layer of understanding. While the Holy Spirit resides within us as believers, being filled with the Spirit means living under His influence daily. Using the analogy of not getting drunk on wine but being filled with the Spirit, it suggests living under the influence of the Spirit, much like one would be influenced by alcohol. In other words, we are called to allow the Spirit to guide our daily actions and decisions.

A simple analogy I’ve used with students is the "chocolate milk" illustration: You have a glass of milk, and when you pour chocolate syrup into it, it doesn’t become chocolate milk until you stir it. Similarly, the Holy Spirit is within us, but we must “stir” or activate it through obedience. Walking in the Spirit involves intentionally allowing His presence to influence and guide us, which Paul encourages in Galatians 5:16—“walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

For youth ministry, this has enormous implications. If students internalize their faith through a vibrant relationship with the Holy Spirit, they are more likely to maintain their faith beyond youth group. The faster students are encouraged to share their faith with others, the quicker they grow in maturity. This was my personal experience: after becoming a Christian as a teenager, I immediately began sharing my faith, which solidified and deepened my relationship with God. The need to seek answers and engage with others prompted rapid spiritual growth.

Interestingly, we can learn from the Mormon Church in this area. Their requirement for young people to serve as missionaries may not be the most effective in terms of conversions, but it creates lifelong Mormons. The constant defense of their faith during these mission years solidifies their beliefs. Similarly, when we encourage students to witness to others, it catalyzes their own growth and helps them hold on to their faith more firmly.

Every Christian is a witness, just as every Marine is a rifleman. Not every believer may be an evangelist, but we are all called to share our faith. When students are equipped to witness to others, it activates the Holy Spirit in them and strengthens their commitment to the faith. Students who have been most active in sharing their faith have often grown the most spiritually.

In conclusion, if we focus on helping students internalize their faith through an understanding of the Holy Spirit and equip them to share their faith, we will see them grow rapidly and stay grounded in their beliefs. This is how we set them up for lifelong faith, well beyond their time in youth group.

Takeaway for Leaders:

Equip your students with the tools to understand the role of the Holy Spirit in their lives and encourage them to share their faith. This is a powerful combination that not only solidifies their beliefs but also helps them thrive spiritually.

Celebrating Impactful Students and Building Lasting Youth Ministry Connections

As youth pastors, one of the most fulfilling aspects of our work is seeing students thrive long after they’ve left our ministry. Though we may not always have a front-row seat to their journeys, catching glimpses of their lives on social media or through brief updates can be incredibly rewarding.

The Joy of Watching Students Grow

When I think about students who have graduated, so many come to mind—each one impacting their communities in unique ways. Some have joined full-time ministry, while others pursue careers that allow them to live out their faith in everyday life. One of the easiest examples of seeing the fruit of our work is when former students come back to serve on staff at our church. We also have students who are missionaries, going out to unreached people groups, or using their platform in business and the marketplace to make a difference for Christ. No matter the career, each one contributes to God’s kingdom in their own way.

But there are some students that leave a particularly strong impression. For example, one student, Ryne, trusted Christ during his senior year in high school. Coming from an unchurched family, his newfound faith was inspiring. He went off to college to play lacrosse, and not long after, I texted him to see how things were going. His response? “I already made some Christian friends.” When I asked how he found them, he told me, “I was just reading my Bible at lunch, and some people came up and started talking to me about it.” At that moment, I knew he was on solid ground.

Another student, a wrestler, trusted Christ as a freshman. Over the years, he has grown deeper in his faith, constantly texting me with Bible-related questions as he continues his walk with Christ. And then there’s a young woman who came to faith in her junior year and has since been instrumental in leading several friends to Christ. She’s actively involved in her school’s FCA group and has helped grow their numbers from 7 to over 50. Seeing her bring eight members of her swim team to church last week reminded me that God is at work in these students, even beyond what I can see.

The Importance of Partnering with Schools

This brings me to an important question: How do we, as youth pastors, partner with local schools to build lasting relationships? The answer lies in empowering our students. While it’s becoming more difficult for churches to officially partner with schools, students have the unique ability to be ambassadors for Christ on their campuses. If we equip them to live out their faith and share the gospel, they will be the ones to build bridges and create opportunities for ministry.

Attend their games, encourage them in their faith, and build relationships with them outside the walls of the church. The relationships they form with their peers can be the starting point for meaningful spiritual conversations.

Events Without Becoming Attractional

A question I often wrestle with is where to draw the line between holding engaging events and becoming an attractional ministry that relies on entertainment to keep students coming. It’s possible to have fun, impactful events without slipping into an attractional model.

The key difference is in our mindset. If we’re asking students to “come and see” without empowering them to go and share, we may lean toward an attractional model. Our job as youth pastors is to equip students to be missionaries in their own schools and communities, helping them see that they can be active participants in God’s mission. When everything revolves around the youth leader, we risk making ourselves the center rather than training students for ministry. It’s about creating a "go and tell" culture where students feel equipped and empowered to share their faith with others.

In Closing

Our role is to plant seeds, equip students, and then watch as God works in their lives. Whether they’re in full-time ministry, pursuing a business career, or leading friends to Christ in their schools, it’s an honor to see how God uses them to further His kingdom. If you’re looking for resources to help train your students, consider checking out the student missionary training at edgeclub.org/training. Together, we can equip the next generation to live on mission, wherever they are.

Stay encouraged and keep building those gospel-centered relationships!