A well-developed philosophy of ministry focuses us on a vision for who we desire students to become by graduation. Looking to that end goal allows us to work backward in shaping every aspect of ministry toward that overarching aim. Faithfulness can then be measured by how well students are shepherded towards that vision throughout their years in youth ministry.
I believe that vision ought to be aligned with objectives revealed in the Scriptures. That starts with the last words of King Jesus in the Great Commission: His command for us to make disciples. Any philosophy of ministry should emphasize what Jesus has prioritized for the church. The Apostle Paul articulates in a different way what that commission is intending to produce: “…that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28, emphasis mine). We can be confident we’re headed in the right direction when our overarching ministry objective aligns with Paul’s! And what is that objective? Mature disciples.
Building backward from the goal of developing spiritually mature students, then, means structuring our ministry emphases accordingly. Spiritual formation (or, as the YPT Curriculum refers to it, “Christian Spirituality”) should become a central focus, with formative practices a prominent feature. But what does that look like practically? How do we lead all our students toward this vision of mature discipleship? This is where implementing spiritually significant rhythms can help. These are practices that are designed to lead students by instructing their hearts to build healthy habits that will help prepare them for ongoing growth and lifelong discipleship. As you think about your own context, consider the following types of rhythms—some corporate, some individual—that could help shape young minds and hearts in your ministry; spiritual practices to cultivate mature followers of Christ.
Worship
Corporate worship offers numerous opportunities to implement formative rhythms. I like to remind leaders that virtually everything we do in our weekly services can become exponentially more impactful in students' lives with a bit of intentionality. One area that we addressed was corporate prayer. It is so easy for prayer to become an afterthought, especially in corporate worship, like a bumper between other worship elements. But prayer is one of the most vital aspects of spiritual formation and maturity.
Practical Idea: Develop a rhythm for corporate prayer that helps students learn how to pray the Scriptures. Identify a student—or several students on a rotation—who can lead this time each week. You or another leader may contact the student leader early in the week with the selected text, along with some recommendations for them about how to pray through that passage later in the upcoming gathering. At the service, that student will introduce the passage, read it, and then lead the students in praying through it. Just imagine what that weekly rhythm might produce in the life of a student over the course of 4-7 years?
Doctrine
Another area for implementing spiritual rhythms involves helping students internalize key doctrinal truths through repetition. Even when solid, doctrinally rich teaching is regularly offered to students, key ideas are worth repeating. We see this most often through catechism, or the practice of asking questions that correspond with biblical answers that provide doctrinal clarity. Certain statements may also be repeated, especially in the context of corporate worship, that help everyone involved memorize, recall, and consider important truths.
Practical Idea: Implement a rhythm of reading a catechism or specific doctrinal statement, like the Apostles’ Creed, each time you meet together. You may also select a particularly instructive Scripture passage to use for this purpose as well (Psalm 139, Ephesians 1:3-14 or 2:1-10, Colossians 1:15-20, John 1:1-18, etc.). Or, invite a small group of dedicated students to meet for a season to memorize the Apostles’ Creed or catechism together, and explain it to them along the way.
Spiritual Disciplines
If students are going to cultivate personal spiritual disciplines to abide in Christ, how can we promote that through youth ministry programming? The simple answer is that we must go beyond merely teaching about those disciplines and actually budget time and resources to help students experience them. This can happen by assigning or suggesting certain spiritual disciplines for students to practice between worship gatherings, possibly for reflection in small groups. You can also set aside ministry time for students to practice and experience spiritual disciplines.
Practical Idea: Implement a rhythm of spiritual “mini-retreats” for your students. Take one Saturday morning every 6 or 8 weeks for students to gather for this purpose. Whether meeting at your church building or a local park, students begin by gathering together where a pre-selected Scripture passage is read aloud. After a prayer for the group, the students and leaders—and even perhaps parents—spread out to spend an extended time of silent meditation and journaling in that passage. I suggest 90 to 120 minutes. Provide a guide for how to use that time for students who may find it intimidating. When the time is over, gather everyone back together for a time of reflection.
Missions
Certain rhythms can shape our students' hearts to cultivate a love and concern for the nations. Youth ministry is a wonderful time to highlight missions and God’s global mission. We often jump to giving students opportunities to participate in missions, since it's one of the most obvious options. But more frequent practices that emphasize the scope of the mission and that highlight specific unreached people groups can provide more consistent reminders of the urgency of the gospel. Additionally, your church’s missions partners can be a steady reminder of how God is using His people around the world.
Practical Idea: Here are a few different ideas for implementing a more intentional rhythm with a focus on missions. (1) Identify a student (or several, on rotation) to lead your group in regular prayer for an unreached people group. Point them to a resource like the Joshua Project and provide some clear instructions for highlighting a different group at each gathering. (2) Follow the Joshua Project on your ministry’s social media pages, and repost their profiles of unreached people groups, in order to bring awareness to your students. (2) Find a missionary that either your group can partner with, or that your church currently supports, and “adopt” them as your youth ministry’s missionary. Appoint a couple of leaders and students to keep in consistent communication to share updates and prayer requests. If possible, plan for that missionary to video chat with the group a few times during the year.