I’ve got a friend who feels a lot of pressure to increase participants in youth group and roll out consistently high numbers of profession of faiths among their church young people. Really?  So this is how we measure performance for a youth leader?

It frustrates me to hear stories like this. Of course we want to have a growing youth group with plenty of involvement from students within the church and the community. And having students publically give their lives to Christ is one of the high points in the life of a congregation. I believe, though, that these alone just can’t be the determining factors in youth leader success.

If you’ve done youth ministry for a while, you have stories of students who just needed a safe place to feel accepted. You’ve seen these students grow in their faith and in their social skills and for that, you’ll always be both thankful and inspired. You’ve probably sat through more sporting events, plays and concerts than you can count, and while you might not have an Excel spreadsheet that records this activity, you have countless students who will never forget your attendance. Every now and then you have a youth group activity or lesson that changes perspectives and lives through the power of the Holy Spirit.  These are often life-changing lessons.

So you add all of that together, and then you add the highpoints of public professions of faith, and you start to get a glimpse of what makes successful youth ministry.  I would suggest that this is how youth leader success should be measured.

Can I get a witness?