A common question among Youth Pastors is whether or not worship fits the context of Youth Ministry. So much of Student Ministry is viewed as organized chaos, leaving Youth Pastors wondering if students can slow down enough to embrace a time of worship within their ministry. Although students may gravitate toward everything upbeat, fun, and interactive, we cannot forget to offer students something that goes deeper. If we truly want students to encounter a real relationship with Jesus, we can offer more to them than just a lesson every week. We can take them on a journey that teaches them the ways we can connect and grow with our God and each other. One of these ways is through the act of musical worship. Psalm 86:12 says, “I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.” Worship cultivates a people who yearn for God no matter their age. Here are a few reasons why you should consider adding worship to your ministry.
- It shows students that worship is for them.
- The church is called to be multigenerational, yet so many things we do in ministry cause us to feel separated. We sell students short by not thinking that they have an attention span to experience worship and all it has for them. Instead of making Youth Ministry and Sunday Morning Services two separate things, why don’t we implement practices that make each more meaningful? Youth Group is the time we get to pour into the students specifically. This means we have a greater chance of helping students understand and experience worship in an atmosphere that is directly focused on them.
- It cultivates intimate moments that set the tone for prayer and the lesson.
- There is something to be said about creating a moment. This takes time. It can be very challenging to go directly from the heightened energy of Youth Group straight to a lesson. But if we give students the time to slow down their hearts and minds to fully embrace the Holy Spirit through worship and prayer, it can set the stage for the work that God wants to do through the speaker that night.
- It reminds us of who God is and who we are called to be.
- When you introduce worship to your ministry, what you will find is not students putting up with worship but students desperately longing for it. It is a beautiful sight to see. The lyrics we sing are so much more than words. They speak life, tell us stories, and put the emotions we feel and struggle with right in front of us. These songs remind us of who we are and Whose we are. For this reason alone, worship has a place in all contexts of ministry.
Maybe you want to implement worship into your Youth Ministry, but either you don’t know how, or you feel as though you don’t have the skills or resources to do so. Here are some easy and practical next steps.
- Worship Videos or Tracks
- There are amazing worship videos out there that would be more than enough for your ministry. If you, a volunteer, or a student, do not have a musical gift, play a video and let the words speak for themselves. However, if there is someone who likes to sing but can’t play an instrument, track applications (ex., Playback) would give you all the instruments you need in one audio file, and you can sing over the track. The applications even give you step-by-step instructions on how the tracks work.
- Single Instrument led Worship
- If you, a volunteer, or a student play an instrument like piano or guitar, this can be perfect for creating an intimate moment for worship for your students. Worship bands are great but not necessary. For added effect, you can add a pad (background fill in the key you are playing in) in order to add more layers to the sound you already have. You can also add a track if you wish to have more instruments playing in the song.
- Youth Worship Band
- A worship band is great, but a youth-led worship band is even better! Now you are putting the moment of worship fully in the hands of your students and allowing them to lead. If adult instrumentalists are needed, that is totally understandable, but having as much student representation as possible is key. Even if it is just students singing. Nothing speaks volumes more than students leading other students in worship.
Worship can become essential to any Youth Ministry; you just need to take that first step. If you do, you will find a generation of people who long for something more: a genuine and intimate encounter with our Lord.
Josh Reigard
Director of Programming and Design
Photo by Edward Cisneros on Unsplash