Often pastors and other local church leaders make the statement, "But we don’t have any youth in our church." While this may be the case or at least their perspective, this situation is hardly God’s will, and is hardly a situation that cannot be remedied with the right vision, commitment, and hard work. There is an ever-increasing number of youth/children in the United States today, and the potential exists for every local Congregational Holiness Church to have a vibrant, successful, growing youth ministry with an abundance of youth. A number of simple, but effective principles and strategies can be used by any size Congregational Holiness Church to develop and maintain a youth ministry. Never again should any Congregational Holiness Church have to say, "but we don’t have any youth in our church."

STRATEGY/PRINCIPLE 1: Develop The Right Vision: Sometimes Congregational Holiness Churches which feel they have no youth fail to see and acknowledge the one or two youth that God has given them. If a church has only one young person, THAT CHURCH HAS YOUTH AND CAN HAVE A YOUTH GROUP! Zechariah 4:10a states, "For who hath despised the day of small things…" According to recent research of advertising and marketing firms, every individual has the potential to influence at least 20 other individuals. Large companies know this and set up entire departments to deal with consumer concerns and complaints. This principle is totally true and applicable to youth. If a church will grasp this principle and begin and maintain a youth ministry for just that one youth, he/she will in turn invite other youth to become part of the "new" youth ministry at the church.

STRATEGY/PRINCIPLE 2: Begin A Youth Ministry Now. It is a mistake to wait until they come to build or develop a youth program. "Build it and they will come" is not just a theme from a recent motion picture; it is the reality of youth ministry. Begin simple, but begin. Begin with the youth/children that God has given you. Be Radical! Begin even if you literally do not have any youth/children. One church of predominantly senior citizens literally had no youth or children. Yet they felt the burden for youth and decided to develop a simple youth program. First they developed a program for teens and one for children. Supplies were purchased and people volunteered to become youth workers. By making contacts with their grandchildren and with youth/children in the church members’ neighborhoods, one or two came. In later weeks these brought others. Slowly, but surely more children and youth came. Eventually some of the youth/children even brought their parents to the church.

STRATEGY/PRINCIPLE 3: Dig In For Long Term Commitment. Often the mistake is made of seeing commitment to a youth ministry as short term. It takes time, hard work, and much patience to grow and maintain a youth ministry. Youth ministry is not easy, but the results are eternal. No church should ever disband or cease their youth ministry just because it is not working, or because they "have gotten down to only a few youth." If a local youth ministry is not working, let us rethink our direction, rewrite our goals, acquire new resources/materials, change our approaches, and make all other necessary changes so it will work. Commitment to a youth ministry for just six months or a year to see if it works is not enough. Each Congregational Holiness Church must possess a commitment to youth and maintain that commitment through an active youth ministry until Jesus Christ returns! The lives and souls of our youth depend on it! Are we willing to "dig in"?

STRATEGY/PRINCIPLE 4: Pray-Pray-Pray. James 5:16 states that the "effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." While this verse of Scripture applies to any and all situations and persons, it is VERY APPLICABLE TO A CHURCH’S YOUTH AND YOUTH MINISTRY. Effectual, fervent prayer is heart-felt prayer, which does not give up. Effectual, fervent prayer prompts a church to establish, revamp, or keep maintaining a youth ministry. A church which will commit itself to an effectual, fervent ministry of prayer for youth is a church which will have no shortage of youth or youth ministries. The prayer emphasis component of the recent Youth Awareness Resource Packet recently sent to all Congregational Holiness Churches is an excellent place to begin. Let us pray!

STRATEGY/PRINCIPLE 5: Be Willing To Be Creative And Innovative. There are literally hundreds of youth resources available that should meet the needs of any Congregational Holiness Church’s youth ministry. The book, The Purpose Driven Youth Ministry by Doug Fields, is an excellent place to discover principles, approaches, and methods that work. The local Christian bookstore has a myriad of great materials. Many excellent web sites on the Internet offer youth ministry resources, ideas, and information that can be downloaded immediately. Yet in the midst of all the good, available resources, local churches must keep constantly seeking out new methods, approaches, and ways to ministry to its youth. The "same old, same old" will not work. God’s Word and the principles of the Word never change, but techniques and approaches must change with each generation or else that generation perishes. Jesus said in Matthew 9:17a, "Neither do men put new wine into old bottles [wineskins] else the bottles [wineskins] break and the wine runneth out, and the bottles [wineskins] perish…"

All Congregational Holiness Churches can have youth and a youth ministry. May the statement never be said, "But we don’t have any youth in our church." But may we hear the declaration, "Praise God! We have a church full of youth and children." Youth Investment: Prayer, Time, Money. Let’s get Serious.

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