Youth Ministry: Youth Ministry : Teen Commitment

Youth Ministry : Teen Commitment

1. Commitment Contracts. We are so afraid people might walk away from our ministry that few of us are willing to demand commitment. We act like Jesus formed the "Let's just hang out together" club. He didn't. He formed the "I gave my life for you" club—better known as the church.

You may want to provide varying levels of commitment for your group. Membership demands certain commitments such as attendance and spiritual growth, while leadership may require commitment to leadership growth principles that are tested and evaluated.

Whatever you choose, have each individual sign it so you know they know the standard.

2. Regular Spiritual Checkups. Signing a card doesn't guarantee commitment, so take it a step farther by holding regular spiritual checkups. If your group is small you may be able to meet with one teen at a time and ask about their devotional habits, worship habits, etc.

With a larger group you may want to design a spiritual check up sheet that will allow them to evaluate themselves. I like using the "Spiritual Wheel". It's simple but effective. Have the teens grade themselves in different spiritual areas and assign a rating. "1" = poor, "10" = perfect. When they connect the dots, have them circle the high points as strengths, and the low points as weaknesses.

3. Service Projects. "Six Flags? Yeah!!!" "Football? You bet!!" "Visit old Mrs. Mathers? Is this a joke?"

Someone said, "You can tell how popular the church is by who comes Sunday morning. You can tell how popular the preacher is by who comes Sunday night. You can tell how popular Jesus is by who comes to the prayer meeting." In our case, you can tell by who comes to the service project. These activities keep kids committed by allowing them to live Jesus, not just talk about Him.

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Zone Members: All 10 Ways to Build Teen Commitment"

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