“What’s next after youth ministry for you?”
“How long do you plan to serve in this role?”
“Do you think you’ll still like it in 10 years?”
I’ve been asked those questions many times over the past year, ever since I began my first full-time pastoral role overseeing youth ministry.
These questions are harmless, but they sometimes provoke me. Why do people view youth ministry as a footnote in a shepherd’s ministry tenure? Is it less glorious than other ministries? Is being a youth minister a negligible role?
The data indicates it’s viewed this way. The average tenure of a youth pastor is around two years. That’s just 730 days. The median tenure of lead pastors in evangelical congregations is six years, triple that of a youth pastor.
Why such a discrepancy? There are likely several reasons. Maybe youth pastors are underpaid, are unprepared, or get burned out because they face unrealistic expectations. Maybe they see their jobs as stepping stones. It’s hard to say for certain, but the data is concerning.
Local churches need youth pastors committed to more than two-year ventures. They need leaders who have a long-haul discipleship vision, who don’t merely settle for youth ministry but embrace and commit to it. Why should youth ministry leaders pursue longevity in their ministry roles? Here are several reasons.
1. Discipleship takes time.
From the start of his ministry, Jesus calls young men to witness his work, hear his teaching, and serve God’s kingdom. Seeing Peter and Andrew off the shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus calls them and the other disciples to follow him (Matt. 4:19–21; 9:9; John 1:35–51; Acts 9:1–18). He spends three years with them, and along the way, they’re slowly transformed.
Discipleship takes time. It’s not a one-off endeavor. If we’re committed to slow, formative growth in youth ministry—the kind of ministry that invites disciples to “follow [our] example as [we] follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1, NIV)—we need disciple-makers who will stick with young people over the course of years.
2. Theological knowledge takes time.
Throughout the Gospels, the disciples unmistakably have a long way to go toward maturity. Well into Jesus’s ministry, he tells them how necessary it is for him to suffer in Jerusalem and die (Matt. 16:21). Yet Peter is so taken aback by this claim that he rebukes Jesus (vv. 22–28).
Peter is both personally immature and theologically in error. Yet he’s just one example of a disciple out of his depth; there are many. The disciples don’t understand the purpose of Jesus’s miracles (Mark 6:52). They argue about who is the greatest (Luke 9:46). They doubt (24:37–38). Though they’re walking with Jesus, they still lack the theological depth and maturity they need.
If we want students to leave youth ministry with theological depth, we must recognize that solid theology isn’t microwaved; it’s cultivated. Forming youth doctrinally requires a steady, slow-going commitment to imparting truth through faithful, meticulous proclamation and then discussion of God’s Word.
Solid theology isn’t microwaved; it’s cultivated.
By “meticulous,” I mean well-planned exposition. Learning your students’ theological misconceptions and presuppositions often takes years. As you uncover these, you can tailor your teaching to address errors and provide a biblical foundation in their place.
In a world that’s more confused than ever, youth don’t need fluff or short-term teachers. Instead, they need attentive leaders who carefully prepare for them a robust theological diet.
3. Fruit takes time.
Jesus teaches that much of ministry is an investment in the future. In Mark 4, Jesus shares a kingdom parable about a growing seed:
A man scatters seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day; the seed sprouts and grows, although he doesn’t know how. The soil produces a crop by itself—first the blade, then the head, and then the full grain on the head. As soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle, because the harvest has come. (vv. 26–29, CSB)
Jesus’s point in the parable is clear: God, not the worker, causes the growth. The worker “doesn’t know” how the crop grows, yet it does. The crop sprouts from the soil “by itself,” with no aid from the farmer.
Notice that the farmer sticks around, though. After he sows seed, he doesn’t abandon it. He watches the crop grow until it’s ready for harvest. God brings growth in ministry. He’s the reason his kingdom flourishes. We’re called to stay, watch, and be part of what God is doing.
We’re called to stay, watch, and be part of what God is doing.
If we want to have fruit-bearing youth ministries marked by students hungry for God’s Word, rich in prayer, eager for deep community, and faithful to share the gospel boldly, it’ll likely take years of faithful dependence. After all, spiritual fruit doesn’t grow overnight. And because a harvest takes time to sprout and grow, we’ll miss it if we don’t stick around.
Youth ministries need zealous leaders who are in it for the long haul. As a youth pastor, this is my conviction. I’m committed to seeing my students be faithful disciples who know and love the Lord deeply and bear fruit. To this end, I won’t merely settle for youth ministry.
