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A Protestant/Evangelical Youth ministry is a Christian ministry intended to instruct and

disciple youths in what it means to be a Christian, how to mature as a Christian, and how to
encourage others to claim Jesus as their Savior. This is accomplished through teaching, relationship
building and/or mentoring. Youth ministries may vary widely depending on their denomination,
size, liberal or conservative outlook and geographic location. The ministries themselves are almost
always built on relationships between the youth minister and the student and their shared perception
of their relationship to God. Because of the evolving nature of Youth Ministries it is difficult to pinpoint
a specific starting point, however a modest estimate would date the profession to approximately 150
years old. Youth have become an integral part of nearly every churchs ministry programming, and
youth ministries continue to have a profound impact on the societies in which they exist.

History of youth ministry[edit]


While youth organizations exist worldwide, the history section of this article will put a special focus
on the development of youth ministry in America.
The beginnings of youth ministry took place in the mid-19th century, in the wake of the industrial
revolution.Churches took note of all the young men who moved into central urban areas to work in
factories. Laypersons who noticed that these young adults working six days a week and gallivanting
about town on Sundays aspired to educate them. And so, early youth ministry began when churches
brought older children and teenagers into classrooms to teach them how to read the Bible. Early
ministry was designed for unchurched children with no formal education; while the primary goal of
early youth ministry was education, a desirable secondary effect was that students would realize
through biblical passages that they are sinners in need of forgiveness.

The origins of youth ministry lie in Sunday schoolslike this 1900 Oklahoma class

Eventually, churches opened up Sunday school to church members and unchurched children and
teens alike. Teachers encouraged the students to bring their friends along, and the movement
gained momentum. Laypersons would often work independently, neither subjecting themselves to
congregational scrutiny nor receiving church funding. This fostered the development

of interdenominational teaching programs and, eventually, faith-based organizations devoted to


youth such as the YMCA and YWCA, whose American branches were founded in the 1850s.
The most recognizable first effort to offer periodic Bible studies, social networking and outreach
opportunities for youth was spearheaded by Dr. Francis Edward Clark. He began the Christian
Endeavor Society in 1881. Dr. Clark wanted to change the view of young people in churches from
pitchers waiting to be filled to young adults responsible for larger service in the church of Christ.
The Christian Endeavor Society revolutionized youth ministry and became extremely popular in its
first few years of operation. Dr. Clark set the limit for each society at 80 members. As more young
adults came to members, more societies were formed. By 1887, there were 700 societies with over
50,000 members spread out across 33 states.
One common speculation is that churches in the 1880s became fearful that they would lose all of
their young members to these societies. In response, many mainstream denominations began their
own youth organizations modeled after the Christian Endeavor Society. Some examples are
the Methodist churchs Epworth League, or the Lutherans Luther League. These new church-based
organizations as well as interdenominational ones already in existence flourished, increasing in
attendance and international outreach involvement as a part of faith-based foreign aid.
After World War I, the focus of many youth ministries began to shift from efforts to outreach
and convert to efforts to educate students and increase their understanding of their faith. It was
during this time that the teenagers began to think theologically as well as gain a social awareness of
the world around them. From the 1930s to the 1960s, the churches emphasized fellowship and
theological understanding.
Before 1940 it was the pastors job to do everything in the church, including youth fellowships.
During the late 1940s there was some introduction of church youth committees - youth were
returning from the war with great life-experience and they could not be kept out of leadership in the
church just because they were in their twenties.
The 1940s was also the beginning of parachurch ministries. Young Life was founded by Jim
Rayburn in 1941. TheYoung Life parachurch model proved to be effective at reaching young people
for Christ, and by the early 1950s, parachurch youth ministries with full-time staff flourished. Billy
Graham was the first full-time parachurch worker forYouth for Christ (YfC) in the USA. This
movement spread quickly around the world. During the 1950s, parachurch ministries grew rapidly in
most Christianized countries, and the focus of activity was on large events, known as Rallies, and
stadium events, known as "Crusades". The emphasis was on promoting inter-church activities
(between local denominational churches) mainly in the format of youth rallies the type of
stadium events made popular by YfC.

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