Mentoring Youth

One of the most important programs that you can offer in your youth ministry is a solid mentoring program. Because youth crave relationships there is no better way to help satisfy that craving than with well developed long-lasting relationships with youth 

I would like to highlight the difference between mentors/counselors and chaperones. Regardless of how you refer to them, there are two types of adults who work with youth. Chaperones are adults who show up once in a while to help transport youth to events or act as extra eyes and ears during events. Typically chaperones don't develop long-lasting relationships with youth and usually only come to one or two programs a year. Whereas mentors/counselors invest time and energy in getting to know the youth in a particular youth program. They are heavily involved in the youth program and participate fully in the life of the youth ministry program. Both of these adult helpers are needed to develop a strong well-balanced youth ministry, however for the purposes of this article I'm going to be focusing in on mentors/counselors.

There are lots of biblical examples of mentors They include but are not limited to Moses and Aaron, Paul and Timothy, and Jesus and the Disciples. The main reason for having a mentoring program in the youth ministry is to provide youth another adult that they can approach when they need to reach out about a problem or situation that they may be going through.When thinking of the youth mentoring program there are a few basic things that you should keep in mind. This certainly is not a complete list. 

1. Picking the Right People- Unlike chaperones, mentors need to be picked with specific skills in mind. They need to have a love of youth ministry and be willing to develop relationships with youth. They should be of the highest moral fiber that you can fine within your local church and they themselves should be able to articulate their faith in a cohesive and meaningful way. Don't just pick warm bodies!!!

2. Basic Training - Before starting a mentoring program, do some basic training with your mentors. That training should include a basic course on keeping children safe. A very good program the United Methodist Church uses is "Safe Sanctuaries" by Joy Thornburg Melton. A program like this is going to help mentors who have never done it before know the ins and outs of what they should and should not do with you. Other programs have similar trainings that you could look into using as well.

3. Develop Meaningful Relationships - The whole point of the mentoring program is to develop solid relationships with youth within your local congregation. Having children understand that there is at least one other adult in the congregation who loves them and cares for them other than their parents goes along way in satisfying the need to connect and develop lasting relationships. As I think back on my youth experience, I still keep in contact with several youth directors that I had and youth mentors who helped me develop a sense of myself.

Youth mentoring is not for everyone. Picking the right people to mentor the youth in your youth program is going to be critical and should be done with care and prayer.