One of the challenges of small churches is that finding youth leaders may be more challenging. Small churches just don’t have as many adults to choose from. And, in a small church, leaders end up being involved in many places in ministry. The best leaders may not be available to help in youth ministry. So, how do you go about finding new leaders? At the risk of sounding too simplistic, I believe the most important key is prayer.

Calling people into leadership is not really the responsibility of the pastor, the youth committee, or the youth leader. God is the one who calls people into ministry. Any kind of ministry. That may seem obvious, but I think it is important. If finding youth leaders is my responsibility, I’m going to look for people whose gifts I can see, who fit my idea of youth minsitry, and who I think I can work well with. If God calls people into the ministry, I need to allow him to decide who is the best fit for our ministry.

How does that work practically?

1. Nothing is more important in finding youth leaders (or any other kind of leader) than begging God to call someone out to meet the needs of the youth.
2. Don’t try to do everything yourself. If people perceive you can do all of the ministry yourself, they won’t see the need and might not believe they are needed.
3. Never beg people to get involved in youth ministry. The students in your youth group deserve people who are passionately committed to Christ and committed to them. Never beg people to help in youth ministry or make people feel guilty about not being involved.
4. When you sense God might be calling someone to work with the youth group, talk to them about what you see. Ask them to pray about helping. Give them time to pray.
5. When someone agrees to join your youth ministry team, take things slow. Allow him to come and watch. Explain why you do things the way you do them. Allow her time to get to know the students before you give her leadership responsibilities. Invite him to attend training events with you.

Finding leadership for your youth ministry is important. Despite how gifted you are, you will never be able to do all that is needed in your youth ministry. You will never be able to connect with every student who shows up at your church. More than that, God is calling people to work with you with students. They need to be involved.