Most people want to be successful. If you’re reading this, chances are you’re passionate about youth ministry and eager to grow in your role. But how are you measuring success?
For a long time, I was driven by the idea of having the largest youth group in town. I believed that reaching numerical milestones—10 students in a small church, 50 in a medium-sized one, and 100 in a large church—was the mark of success. However, I began to realize that my focus on numbers was more about competition than about Kingdom growth.
Years ago, I heard a Gospel Advancing leader put it this way:
When you’re chasing a certain number for your youth group, it breeds a spirit of competition between you and the other youth groups in your town. But if your goal is to reach every lost teen in your community, it breeds a spirit of collaboration and networking.
This perspective changed everything for me. It was no longer about attendance but about making disciples and advancing the Gospel.
Measure what truly matters
Traditionally, youth ministries measure success using the ABCs:
- Attendance: How many students are showing up?
- Building: How cool and relevant is our youth space?
- Cash: How big is our budget for events and activities?
While these can be helpful, they don’t fully reflect the biblical mission of youth ministry. Instead of focusing solely on these metrics, what if we measured our ministry’s success based on spiritual growth and disciple-making?
Think about it like this: What if, instead of counting how many seats are filled, we started counting how many hearts are changed? Here are some better questions to ask for biblical outcomes:
- How many students are stepping out and sharing their faith?
- How many verses have our students memorized, hiding God’s Word in their hearts?
- How many students are showing up for outreach events, eager to serve?
- How many have truly put their faith in Jesus and are committed to following Him?
- How many students have taken the bold step of baptism, publicly declaring their faith?
- How many are making disciples of other students?
When we focus on these things, we create a youth ministry where real discipleship happens, where students grow in their faith, and where transformation takes place beyond just numbers.
Biblical foundations for measuring success
Success in youth ministry should align with Scripture. Consider these key biblical principles:
- Making disciples: ‘Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ Matthew 28:19
- Gospel proclamation: For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. Romans 1:16
- Spiritual growth: But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! 2 Peter 3:18
- Celebrating salvations: ‘In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’ Luke 15:10
These passages remind us that our focus should be on making disciples, sharing the Gospel, and celebrating life transformation.
Celebrating the right things
One way to shift the culture in your youth group is by celebrating these biblical outcomes. For example, you can:
- Display or give white balloons to celebrate new believers.
- Display or give blue balloons for baptisms.
- Have students share testimonies when they’ve had Gospel conversations.
- Recognize students who have memorized Scripture.
Making these moments fun and exciting reinforces what truly matters and encourages students to take their faith seriously.
A new definition of success
Success in youth ministry isn’t about competing for the largest group—it’s about faithfully making disciples. By shifting our focus from the ABCs to biblical outcomes, we create a culture where students grow spiritually, share their faith, and impact their community for Christ.
Let’s measure success not by numbers alone, but by transformed lives and the advancement of the Gospel.
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God!
1 Corinthians 10:31
