Young Life has been the model for youth ministry for almost the past hundred years. High school and college students alike have flocked to their camps, meetings, and Bible studies. What is it about their model that makes it so effective?
Young Life focuses on forming connections with the students before evangelizing, so it allows them to earn the right to talk about God before just blasting an unsaved kid with the reality of sin. On the YoungLife website, they acknowledge that before anything else, they must have time and patience. The model itself does not focus on just winning over as many people as possible, but rather getting kids plugged into a community until they are ready to learn more. By starting with inviting the kids basically to just hang out, it opens the door for service and conversation that can start to bring them around to the ideas of the gospel. The same function applies to YoungLife camp. It serves as a medium to spend time with kids, not convert or indoctrinate them.
Lastly, YoungLife does a great job reaching every type of kid. The chapters in each geographical area are divided into different types for different age ranges and different unique categories. This ensures that every kid feels at home wherever they go. Their model also enables students who graduate high school to return as leadership, and compound the difference they make.
Overall, Younglife’s impact has only continued to grow in recent years. It is on the cutting edge of ministry and will likely have an impact for even more years to come.
View Comments
Younglife does a great job of being in touch with the culture and age groups well enough to keep youth very engaged and attracted to the environment they create. Overall I think this creates a great opportunity for the kids to feel safe and valued before they get into deep focus on the gospel. This model does require excellent leaders who have a strong understanding of the Word of God and an ability to communicate key truths, but Younglife seems to do well with that too due to their deliberate focus on training. As long as the gospel is being conveyed accurately, the trendy, culture-attuned approach can and will be very effective for Jesus.
I love Younglife. I have never personally been involved with Younglife, however, I have seen its fruits time and time again through friends and peers. The impact that it has on hundreds of communities around the country is astounding and nothing to scoff at. Younglife is truly the definition of redemptive.