A Possible Guide for developing
Our Youth
Strategy
This guide consists of questions
organized under the following
headings…
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Introduction
Recognizing Ourselves
Recognizing Our Journey
Aims & Objectives
Durational Plan
Identifying Support Systems
Definitions/Glossary
Introduction
• What are our initial responses when we
think about youth ministry generally?
• Where does youth ministry happen in our
communities?
• Is youth ministry relevant to our
parish/synod?
• Do we value youth ministry?
Recognizing Ourselves
• Who are the people that make up our
parish/synod?
• Who are our parish/synod young
people?
(e.g. our own children, the children from parish
families, grandchildren, young people from around
the community/neighbours, younger siblings,
students from local educational institutions,
clientele, young people from non-church
groups/teams/organisations, etc…)
Recognizing Ourselves
continued…
• How do young people help shape the
church?
• What blessings, gifts, experiences
and talents do young people offer?
• What blessings, gifts, experiences
and talents can be shared with young
people?
Recognizing Our Journey
• How have we done youth ministry in
the past?
• How are we currently engaging in
youth ministry?
• What are our hopes, dreams and
aims for youth ministry in the
future?
Aims & Objectives
What might some of our aims &
objectives for youth ministry be?
You may like to use the different areas suggested below as a guide
for focussing your aims and objectives (or add others)
• Fun
• Biblical & Spiritual
learning
• Historical, contextual &
structural understandings
• Leadership Development
• Service & Hospitality
• Cultural awareness &
appreciation
• Fellowship &
Interaction
• Worship
Action Plan
Are we able to form a plan of action for
the next…
• twelve months?
• five years?
• ten years?
…If so, what might it look like?
Identifying Support
Systems
• In what ways will we support leadership,
groups and individuals in youth ministry?
• Can we identify key organisations,
groups or people that we can consult for
support on a range of issues relating to
youth ministry?
Definitions/Glossary
“When we use the term _______ what do we mean?”
(what other key words or terms might we need to define or
unpack as a group?)
Congratulations!
In working through these questions you
have successfully…
• Discussed the relevance and value of youth ministry
to the parish/synod
• Discussed the context and journey of youth ministry
in the parish/synod
• Begun to identify what the aims and objectives for
youth ministry may be
• Thought about plans of action over different time
frames
• Identified systems of support
• Identified and unpacked different words/terms to
ensure shared understandings
Well Done!