Characteristics of an Effective Youth Worker

If you are thinking about getting involved as a youth worker or you are already there, you probably feel as if you are called to be a youth worker. Just because God placed a desire to work with Christian teens on your heart does not mean that you don’t need to grow as a worker.

Whether you’ve had 10 years of youth leadership experience or are just getting started, it’s always good to know which areas of leadership are growth areas. Here are the five major characteristics of a great youth worker.

The God-Centered Heart

It probably doesn’t need to be said, but if you are going to be working with Christian teens you should be a Christian yourself. This doesn’t mean that you have to be the most knowledgeable Christian in the world, but you do need to have some understanding of your faith and you need to have a heart centered on God.

An effective youth worker will be able to demonstrate their own relationship with God as an example for teens. It is hard to teach someone something you do not do yourself. The philosophy “Do as I do, not as I say,” doesn’t go very far with teenagers. Devotions, daily prayer time, and daily Bible reading will help you grow in your relationship with God and provide support in working in youth leadership.

The Servant Heart

The servant heart is also important. Youth ministry takes a lot of work. You will most likely need to be available to help set-up, clean-up, and attend events beyond regular services. Youth pastors often need a lot of help in planning and executing youth ministry events.

Without a servant’s heart you are not setting a Christian example to your students. Being a servant is a huge part of being a Christian. Christ was a servant to man, and He called people to be servants to one another. It does not mean you have to be a slave to ministry, but you need to come ready to help out whenever possible.

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