What do youth and children’s ministers do?
Young people are not the Church of tomorrow, they are the Church of today. Youth and children’s ministers might work in a parish, in schools, through a deanery, or with a Christian organisation. There is a strong emphasis on Christian formation in peer groups, including preparing young people for confirmation.
A great many Christians consider their youth minister to have been integral to their faith journey.
How do I become a youth or children’s minister?
Do you believe God is calling you to serve as a youth or children’s minister? Each position is different so check out what parishes and organisations are asking for.
Your starting point is to meet with your own vicar, chaplain, or equivalent, to talk with them about your sense of calling. You should also arrange to meet with the vocations team in your diocese. Next talk to an adviser in your dioceses about training.
It is important you continually pray about your vocation throughout the discernment process.
AJ Wade: I’m there to support and encourage young people in their leadership
I first got involved with doing youthwork when I was about seventeen. My church was excellent at raising up young leaders. I’d grown up in the youth group and became a junior leader. That started my journey in youth ministry.
I thought God might be calling me to something else, but I wasn’t sure about it. I also knew he was calling me to work with young people as well. I spoke to my church leader and decided to apply for a two-year youth ministers training scheme with a church in north London.
I was leading groups, mentoring young people, organising teams, trying to get people together to do stuff. I was really thrown in at the deep end. This is what youth ministry is like, do it!
I’m now the youth minister at Christ Church in Bedford. In a typical week we could run between three and five different groups, catering for the different needs of young people. I’m also involved with a local secondary school, with their Christian Union, which the young people there wanted to set up - I’m just there to support them and encourage them in their leadership.
We are beginning to do work in schools for RE lessons and assemblies, and linking to other churches in Bedford. We run a Bedford-wide youth event a couple of times a year.
At the heart of my ministry is young people engaging with God and to support them in that journey. If they’re in a place where they’re not sure about God, I come alongside them and help them to find God for themselves and understand God as their friend and someone who loves them and cares about them.
If you feel called to youth ministry I would encourage you to talk to your church leaders and to your best friend. It’s great when you feel called into ministry, but others can also see gifts in us as well. They may see something you’ve not considered, and encourage you to explore other calls too. There’s always a risk in there. I’d also say to consider different ways you can get involved in ministry in your church, ways to train and get more experience.
Aj Wade