By Nancy Hamilton

An effective youth leader can have incredible influence by placing bricks of positive influence in the lives of young women in the youth group. You may be a male leader. The girls in your group may be a little harder for you to connect with than the guys. The girls in your youth ministry have a basic core need: to be known, cared for, and loved unconditionally in relationships with parents, friendships, and godly role models. So, if you have girls involved in your student ministry, here are a few things to be mindful of as you strive to encourage, nurture, and challenge these young women:

1. Girls long for a male perceptive on matters relating to them.

As you know, girls and guys often times act and think differently about everything! Finding ways to interject godly wisdom on relationships and life direction into the lives of young women is important and crucial for them.

2. Girls long to have a healthy relationship with a godly man.

For many girls who do not have positive relationships with men in their lives, having a student minister who is focused on encouraging them to become the person God desires them to be could be instrumental in the life of a young woman.

3. Girls long to know that you care about their gender, not just the guys.

While girls in your ministry need to be ministered to and mentored by godly women in your church, creating opportunities where you as the student minister can demonstrate geninue care and concern within healthy boundaries will help young women know there’s a man who she is able to trust and desires the best for her life.

Nancy Hamilton ministers to girls and young women on the student ministry team at Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, AR. To find out more about Nancy’s ministry visit www.fellowshiponline.com.