My Journey into Youth Ministry

In addition to interviews being conducted with vicarious churched and unchurched individuals, I have decided to calm my fears of future youth ministry by gathering some useful information...hopefully what I learn will not be to scary!

I have not mentioned before...I think...but, I am getting a degree in youth ministry! Seeing that I have completed all necessary course credits for this degree, I am about to venture out into the world of reality and hard knocks. The time has come to test theories, ideas, and hypothesis in the metaphorical refining fire...real students with real needs!

Some of my greatest fears at least thus far is what am I going to do. What will be my primary focus? How much time will certain aspects of ministry take up, and will I have enough time to do all that I want to accomplish (I obviously know that the answer to this is an emphatic NO!); however what will I be able to accomplish with the time I have. Not only that but will it be eternally valuable, not only to the students I am ministering too but the parents and the greater community I am serving.

Now is the time that I "pull my britches up", "get my feet wet", and "my hands dirty"! Now is the time that I fear! I am internally crying HEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPPPP! I feel like I am going to drown! And just think I have not even begun to do the work; I have only begun to think about it!

Because of all that, I have decided that "a" good place to start is to survey some current youth students and also some who have graduated and get an idea for what they enjoyed about or what they missed out on, and what they would like to see changed in the following areas: personal, pastor, service, friends and sermon. Although, I would like to have spent additional time researching survey methods and comprehensive techniques for administering surveys I just felt the need to get in there and do it! After, I have finished receiving all of the surveys I will collate the results and graph them...nothing professional but will definitely help me make a first step in ministry!

You will find the actual survey sent out to the students below and later under the same label or tag the collated results of the survey!

If you would like to help me in this endeavor shoot me a comment and I will send you a copy of the survey: from there you can either distribute it a few or many and have it emailed back to my email address!

Please keep in mind that all names and answers will be kept confidential and anonymous.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being the least important and 10 being the most important) please rate the following in your own life.

Please place your response to the right of the question.

1. God

2. Church

3. Youth Group

4. Family

5. Friends

6. School activities: Please name each one you are involved in and the corresponding number representing how important it is to you.

7. Dating

Please answer the following about your current youth group and/or a previous youth group.

If you no longer attend youth group because you graduated from high school please respond according to what you remember!

Personal:

1. Do you attend youth group regularly (at least 2 times out of the month)?

2. Name at least 2 things (more if you want) that attracted you most to your youth group?

3. Name at least 2 things (more if you want) that “turned you off” from the youth group?

4. If you still attend youth group regularly name at least 2 things (more if you want) that made you want stay.

5. If you do not attend youth group regularly name at least 2 things (more if you want) that prevent you from wanting to attend regularly.

Pastor:

1. What are at least two things (more if you want) you like most about the youth pastor?

2. If you could change two things (more if you want) about the youth pastor what would they be?

3. How could the youth pastor serve you and the community better?

Service:

1. What are at least two things (more if you want) you like most about the youth service?

2. If you could change two things (more if you want) about the youth service what would they be?

3. How could the youth service be made better?

Friends:

1. How often to you bring friends to youth group with you?

2. What would make bringing friends to youth group easier for you?

3. What makes bringing friends to youth difficult for you?

Sermon:

1. What are at least five (more if you want) important topics that you would like to hear about in youth group?

2. What are at least five (more if you want) important topics that you think your un-churched friends should hear about if they were to come to youth group?

P.S. I want to thank each and every one of you for your participation in the survey…it will go a long way to helping me become the youth pastor God has called me to be!