Is Youth Ministry in the Bible?
A new family with multiple teenagers started attending church, but their kids weren’t attending youth group. I reached out to ask how I could help enfold them into the youth ministry and their answer floored me. Honestly, it changed the trajectory of my ministry.
One of the teenagers sheepishly said, “My parents don’t believe in youth ministry, so you’ll need to talk with them.” After muttering some response that was probably incoherent, I asked the father for clarification. He explained that since youth ministry isn’t in the Bible, he believed the discipleship of children and youth should fall on the parents rather than on young but well-intentioned youth leaders. He was as respectful as possible but it still stung. Over the following years, we kept dialogue open and were able to build mutual respect and appreciation–his kids even came to a handful of youth events, but not weekly youth group.
Those conversations raised a question that I honestly hadn’t thought deeply about: What is youth ministry, and is youth ministry even in the Bible? These are important questions we don’t ask often enough, and I’m grateful for the way this father forced me to honestly study them.
Arguments Against Youth Ministry in the Bible
There’s a wide range amongst those who claim youth ministry is nowhere in the Bible. Most of them view Youth Ministry as something that’s permitted by Scripture but not explicitly mentioned–similar to a men’s ministry or women’s minsitry. These friends usually mean well but are operating with a definition of Youth Ministry that’s so narrow they don’t see it in Scripture. They would benefit from distinguishing Youth Ministry from Youth Group (more on that below).
The most vocal critics are those who see it as anti-biblical, not merely “not in Scripture.” This more extreme criticism comes from those who align with or are adjacent to the Family-Integrated Church Movement (FICM). This is a movement that rejects all age-specific ministry, including nurseries for infants and toddlers. Instead of youth ministry, FICM advocates for a family-driven faith and to view the church as a “family of families.” They argue the church should always be intergenerational and that Youth (and Children’s) Ministry usurps parental authority.
The most notable advocate against youth ministry and for the FICM was Voddie Baucham, although others articulated it more clearly. For example, Scott Brown’s 2010 book, A Weed in the Church, explains, “the philosophy and practice of systematic, age-segregated youth ministry as defined in this book is indisputably unbiblical in its pattern, inherently destructive in its impact, and undeniably unchristian in its origin” (p.280). Therefore, Brown asserts, youth ministry should not be reformed, but uprooted like a weed in the church.
The most vocal critic of Youth Ministry today is probably Anthony Bradley, who regularly posts on social media about the unbiblical nature of youth ministry and claims it is an utterly failed experiment that should be eliminated and replaced by fathers and “church fraternities.” Although Bradley has not (that I’m aware of) aligned himself with the FICM, most of what he writes and recommends is in line with their recommendations. He wrote this on a much-shared Substack article, “Youth ministry does not work, regardless of the number of outlier anecdotes people can offer about their own experiences or about a particular teen they know. It’s not 1950, and what really matters for faith persistence is a teen’s relationship with their parents. Your church doesn’t need a youth minister, your church needs strong parents, esp. strong fathers. It’s that simple.”
If youth workers cannot make a biblical case for their ministry, then their critics stand on solid ground. If our critics cause us to ask “What is Youth Ministry?” and “Is Youth Ministry in the Bible?” more often–then praise the Lord! Let’s clarify what we mean by “Youth Ministry” and then look at a few pieces of evidence that Youth Ministry is indeed biblical.
What is Youth Ministry, Anyways?
Scott Brown defines youth ministry this way: “methods of youth discipleship that are absent from or contrary to the Word of God; that arise from the minds of men, that promote systematic, age-segregated worship, instruction, and fellowship; that use age as the basis for participation; that delegate parental responsibility to those who are unqualified to exercise it or to whom God has not given it; that usurp parents’ authority over their children; that separate youth from the rest of the church; and that advocate peer relationships, which, without parental oversight, make youth the companions of fools.” (p.52-53) Not only does he need an editor for that run-on sentence, he’s built his argument upon a definition of youth ministry that nobody would agree with.
It’s important to notice what the critics are criticizing: age-segregated modern youth ministry. This is a criticism that many youth pastors (like me) share! Although the FICM critique of Youth Ministry is built upon a caricature, it’s important to ask, “What is Youth Ministry, anyways?”
We need to distinguish between Youth Ministry and Youth Group. Youth Minsitry is the church’s ministry to teenagers, and is an expression of the local church’s commitment to fulfill their vows to that child and their parents during infant dedication or infant baptism. Youth Group is a meeting where teenagers gather for a program that usually incoropates games, Bible-teaching, prayer, and discussion. This distinction is important.
It is possible to have a vibrant and powerful Youth Ministry without having a Youth Group (this is especially common in small churches aroun the world). It’s also possible to have a large and active Youth Group that’s doing very little Youth Ministry (because the emphasis is on the program rather than viewing it as an expression of enfolding youth into the church and partnering with parents).
Instead of categorizing Youth Ministry as “permitted but not mentioned” (like men’s or women’s ministry), I believe it’s more accurate to categorize it as “described but not defined” (like church membership and expository preaching). God’s people consistently display their communal calling to raise up the next generation in the knowledge and love of God. It’s not merely “permitted,” as if it’s optional.
Evidence of Youth Ministry in the Bible
Since youth ministry is not a program, but the church’s partnership with parents to raise the next generation in the knowledge and love of God, then we can easily see youth ministry in Scripture and throughout Christian history. Since I’ve written elsewhere about this particular question, I’ll offer general exegetical, historical, and theological responses to the question about the biblical validity of Youth Ministry.
Exegetical Evidence
Deuteronomy 6 offers the clearest biblical call for passing on the faith to the next generation. While the emphasis is clearly on parents’ role in the faith formation of their children, the call of family discipleship is given within the broader community of faith. In this passage, Moses is leading Israel to renew their covenant with the LORD. Deuteronomy 6:4 begins “Hear, O Israel….” Moses calls the whole community to honor the LORD their God, and then applies this commandment to the next generation by calling parents to raise up their children in the knowledge and love of God.
Remember, the nuclear family (mom, dad, and their kids living separate from other generations of their family clan) didn’t exist in the Bible. When parents were commanded to raise their children in the faith, it was always a communal and multi-generational command. Grandparents, aunts, cousins, neighbors, and others in the community shared a commitment to the next generation.
Israel’s calling to pass the faith to the next generation is repeated and displayed throughout the Old and New Testaments. For a basic rundown of other key texts, read this YPT article: Is Youth Ministry Biblical?. Additionally, it’s important to acknowledge that not every youth ministry is indeed biblical. There are a few qualities that must be true in order to lead a Bible-based youth ministry.
Historical Evidence
Throughout history, God’s people have always prioritized the next generation. This isn’t merely historical evidence, but shows how faithful Christians have interpreted and applied the Scriptures. Psalm 78 is a good example of the ways corporate worship was sometimes structured in order to remind the next generation of the mighty works of God. Even the portions in Paul’s letters where he addresses parents and children are evidence that children were part of the gathered worship, and that children were considered by the pastors and church leaders as they read and taught the Scriptures. Some hear these examples and see it as more evidence that parents are called to disciple their children, and it is that–but it’s also evidence that they’re called to disciple their kids within the church community.
If you want to find evidence of Youth Ministry throughout Christian History then you’ll want to look to catechesis. This was the Church’s discipleship program for the 1900 years until large portions of the modern church decided to try something new. In short, parents would disciple their children, and when those kids were preparing for either baptism or confirmation, they’d begin to meet with the church catechists. Sometimes this would be the pastor or priest, often they would be spiritually mature church members who were trained in discipleship and formation. These church catechists are the historic forerunners of youth workers–godly men and women who would disciple and mentor young people into church belonging. My book (A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry) highlights examples in the Early Church, Reformation, and Puritans.
Theological Evidence
The Great Commission calls out to all people and every generation. Saving faith is not genetically handed down like XY chromosome, it is received by confession of faith that Jesus Christ is Lord. Youth Ministry is an expression of the Church’s commitment to call sinners to life in Christ–whether they’re growing up inside or outside of the church family.
Christian parents can have a significant impact on their kids’ nonChristian friends, but it is good and wise for the local church to intentionally pursue evangelistic ministry to children and youth. Teenagers need to hear the gospel and see its transformative power displayed through more than just their family. Biblical Youth Ministry offers so much more than fun and games, it offers encouragement for youth to pursue Christ together, with the support and teaching of godly adults who reinforce what they are (hopefully) hearing at home.
Finally, it’s common for Christians to call the church their “church family.” This is biblical and good. But do we truly mean it when we consider the church our family? When we welcome children into the church through dedication or baptism, that child is now part of the church’s spiritual herritage. That means every church member, regardless of marriage status or children, is part of the church’s commitment to raise up the next generation in the Lord. Youth Ministry is one clear expression of carrying out on that commitment made to the Lord, the parents, and the child.
Conclusion
A Biblical Theology of Youth Ministry presents an exegetical, theological, and historical foundation for ministry youth. The book concludes with some reflections on attributes of a biblical youth ministry.
It should be obvious that God’s people have always been committed to minister to youth and children. We’re here, generations later, and that doesn’t happen by simply telling mom and dad, “It’s your job, not ours.” At the same time, critics of Youth Ministry often raise legitimate concerns–ones that many youth pastors also share–about the biblical foundation for what passes as youth ministry today.
We would all do well to ask “What is Youth Ministry?” and “Is Youth Minsitry in the Bible?” more often. These two questions are at the heart of what Youth Pastor Theologian is all about.
For now, let this suffice: Youth Ministry is biblical. Yes, there are far too many examples of unbiblical youth ministry that ought to be rejected, but the same is true of preaching and worship and all sorts of other biblical ministries of the church. The people of God have always been called to raise up the next generation in the knowledge and love of God. Let’s learn from those who have gone before as we seek the Holy Spirit’s wisdom about how to call today’s youth into lifelong faith.
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