The church must invest in student ministry. It can’t be an afterthought. The church must have concrete ways to invite in, raise up, share Jesus with, and incorporate students into the life of the congregation.
Here are some ways every church should invest in student ministry:
Through Leadership
Depending on the size of your congregation and ministry context, one of the wisest investments a church can make in student ministry is leadership. Paying someone to help lead the way isn’t just a line item in the budget—it’s a statement of value. Healthy student ministries don’t drift into effectiveness; capable, supported leaders guide them there.
That investment doesn’t stop with a paycheck. Churches should also invest in equipping the people who serve, especially in smaller churches where student ministry often rises or falls on part-time staff or faithful volunteers. Training sharpens vision, builds confidence, and reminds leaders they’re not alone. Sending your youth workers to a conference or training event can breathe fresh life into both the leader and the ministry. One option may be a time of coaching and training with your church leadership, and I would love to come to you for such an event! And if you’re struggling to find a youth worker, that challenge may actually be an invitation to grow leaders from within and invest intentionally in the ones God has already placed in your church. If you’re having trouble finding a youth worker, here are some ideas.
Through Prayer
Every church should be intentionally and consistently praying for its students—because no strategy shapes the next generation like prayer does. Pray for the students and families already connected to your church, and for those in your wider community who haven’t walked through the doors yet. Pray for local schools, administrators, and teachers who carry daily influence and heavy responsibility. Pray for your student ministry leaders and volunteers, that they would have wisdom, endurance, and genuine love for the students they serve. And yes—pray boldly for more students.
Churches that take student ministry seriously don’t leave prayer to chance; they build rhythms around it. A simple prayer calendar, short email or text reminders, dedicated prayer groups, and moments of prayer before student gatherings all help keep the next generation front and center. When prayer becomes part of both public ministry moments and private staff and leader devotion, it sends a clear message: we believe God is already at work in the lives of our students, and we’re depending on Him every step of the way.
Through Strong Children’s Ministry
One of the most strategic—and often overlooked—ways to invest in student ministry is to continue investing in a strong children’s ministry. Healthy student ministries don’t start in middle school; they’re built years earlier. A thriving ministry to kids is one of the primary gateways to reaching families in your community and creating early trust with parents.
When children are known, cared for, and spiritually formed from an early age, they don’t “graduate” into student ministry—they anticipate it. Familiar leaders, shared values, and a sense of belonging create a natural bridge that helps students stay connected during critical transition years. Churches that view children’s ministry as foundational—not separate from student ministry—set up their next generation for long-term faith development. Invest well in kids today, and you’re quietly strengthening your student ministry for years to come. Here are some children’s ministry ideas for your church.
Through Special Ministry Events
It’s not always easy—but it is worth it. One practical way for churches of any size to invest in student ministry is to help students get to special ministry events. The broader story is encouraging: a significant number of believers decide to follow Christ before the age of 18, and many of those moments happen in the context of camps, conferences, and retreats. There’s something powerful about getting students away from normal routines and placing them in environments where faith is clearly taught, modeled, and invited.
As a church, do everything you reasonably can to encourage and support attendance at summer camps, weekend conferences, and retreats—financial help, early promotion, shared testimonies, and clear communication with parents all matter. A student ministry can’t live on special events alone, but these moments often become spiritual markers—one-shot opportunities God uses to grab a student’s attention, deepen faith, or even change direction entirely. Used wisely, special events are not distractions from ministry; they’re catalytic tools that can leave a lasting imprint on a teenager’s faith journey. Here are a handful of events we host each year!
Every church has seasons of ministry. Don’t be discouraged if things aren’t clicking right now; step back, pray, gather a team of leaders, and see what you can do. God has your church right where it needs to be, and it’s filled with the people and the gifts to do what needs to be done. Pray that a focus on the next generation will rise up within your church.
Let me know if you would like to set up a time to discuss any of these topics with your student ministry leadership team:
— The Anxious Generation – a seminar to help spur on the conversation about the digital life of students, the replacement of play-based childhood with phone-based childhood, and how the church can help make disciples in the midst of it.
— The Funnel of Youth Ministry – helping to organize the calendar with four main types of ministries – 1) come-one-and-all events, 2) growth and discipleship moments, 3) leadership opportunities and growth, 4) sending out growing Christian leaders to use their gifts to share the love of Christ and invite others. The funnel helps us think about not only getting new students involved but helping our own students grow and mature, the other 160 hours a week besides student ministry time each week.
— Tightrope of Adolescence – We’re part of the unique time in the lives of students, literally helping to hard-wire some of the brain during this unique time in life. This seminar concept helps us think through the needs of 6th-12th graders in terms of teaching style, the questions they are asking, how family plays a role, expectations for students, and how student ministry can create a sense of belonging and community.
— Student Ministry Basics – Prayer (the real basic nuts and bolts: what it means, how to do it
, ways to stay focused, joining others), Bible (reading it from an actual book with pages, plans, accountability, simple ways of doing powerful study – observing, discovering, meditating, and practical outcomes and application). Following (what does it mean to follow Jesus in the very basic sense, how to follow someone we don’t physically see, etc)
— Structure For Effective Ministry – This really depends on how the church student ministry team is set up (paid staff? key volunteer? volunteer team? how many students, etc) Some of the thoughts in this session can be around 1) the art of creating the work in ways that every adult leader can step into their obvious and well fitted role, 2) creating systems for following up, congregational prayer, and connection with the home and family, 3) inviting people to take on the ministry responsibilities that will often bottleneck around one leader if we’re not careful, 4) flow and schedule during student ministry events.
Join us as we launch The Faithful Leaders Collective!