Let’s be honest, we all want our youth groups to grow physically, and there’s nothing wrong with that! There’s nothing wrong with wanting to reach students with the gospel of Jesus Christ and help them become disciples who are vibrant members of the body of believers; if you’re against that, then we need to have a “come to Jesus” meeting. Yet, I believe this sense of physical growth is heightened when you have a small youth group. Maybe it’s because the pressure that’s put on us by our leaders, or the burden we have for students. Either way, we feel it every time we see a bunch of empty chairs.
Over the years I wondered why my youth group never grew. Through much prayer, studying, and learning from others, I finally learned why. The dirty truth no one will tell you, but you need to accept, is that your youth group may never grow. I know many of you may disagree, and that’s okay. However, I have learned our youth groups are not an independent entity separate from the church. Instead, youth ministry is a part of a vast church ecosystem and is more dependent on the church than we would like to admit. Here are four reasons why your youth group may never grow:
Your church is in a small town
This may not apply to everyone, but this does play a major factor. If your church is in a small town, by default you only have so many people that you can reach. To add to this, there’s always multiple denominations represented, which means the group of people you want to reach just got smaller. If your town likes being small, or your town isn’t growing, then don’t expect your youth group to be blowing up.
Poor Leadership
There’s a reason why the senior pastor gets paid the big bucks. The pastor sets the tone for the church, and if he’s not willing to improve or has different priorities, then that will affect the growth of your youth group. At the same time, if you aren’t developing yourself either, don’t expect your youth group to grow either. Leadership plays a tremendous role, and if everyone is not doing their part, growth will not take place.
Lack of Structure
If your church does not have a ministry that connects people to each other so they can grow in Christ together, you will never be able to keep those who visit. Church is intentional, which means each aspect of your ministry has to have a purpose for people to be there. This is especially true for your visitors, which is why a small group ministry is so important. However, I won’t leave you hanging, and I’ll address how you can have an effective small group in a later post.
Time
Sometimes I have youth pastors who will share their concern about their youth group not growing. I’ll ask how long they have been at their position and they’ll usually respond with only a year. I chuckle and remind them it takes at least five years to establish a new ministry. With that said, your youth group many not grow because you haven’t been there long enough to establish yourself. Likewise, if your pastor hasn’t been at your church for five years either, expect that to affect your ministry as well. It takes time to establish your credibility with your youth and congregation, don’t underestimate how their trust in you will affect growth.
In the end, what does all of this mean for you who are in these predicaments? If anything, it should free you from having to worry about physical growth, and instead, focus on loving students. When you let go of your expectations of physical growth, you learn to appreciate those who are willing to show up and participate. You remember your value as a minister isn’t measured by how many students show up, but by what you are doing with the students who are already there. Embrace the dirty truth; it may just make your youth group a whole lot cleaner.
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