10 Youth You May Not Be Reaching

Post by Eric Gallagher, Discipleship Focused Youth Ministry

One of the things that I find myself doing frequently is looking at the youth in our parish and around our community and wondering what I can do- or really, what the Church might be able to do- in order to help them to know Jesus Christ if they do not know him already. For those who do, I wonder if they are engaged in growing and developing that relationship. It reminds me of a video produced by Dan Cathy from Chic-Fil-A entitled Every Life Has a Story.

Recently, we have featured a couple of blog posts (here and here) on how we cannot simply offer one program and expect that it will meet the needs of all of the youth in the parish. The reality is that everyone has unique needs, and we live in a world now where people demand a customized experience. I would argue that it is no different for our efforts in the Church. I thought it would be fun to brainstorm some of the different types of youth I have encountered who require a unique approach. This list is definitely not meant to be comprehensive, and I understand that youth cannot be categorized as simplistically as I have done here, but the purpose is to help us realize the many different approaches we need to consider in order to be more pastoral in our youth ministry efforts.

Here are 10 types of youth that you may not be reaching and some quick thoughts on how you can:

The Game Hater
This is the youth that won’t come to youth group or summer camp because they hate games. Believe me, it is possible (I was one of them). This youth is looking for opportunities to grow but would like to be involved in something that doesn’t waste their time with useless activities.

The Devout Soul
This youth has an active prayer life and is probably already doing most of the things you encourage youth to do in a large group setting. In order for them to be truly engaged, they will need to be challenged. Learn their charisms, and be upfront with them in the ways that you know they can still grow.

The Gamer
Every week, this youth struggles with the decision to either go to the church for youth stuff or stay home and play video games. Engage this youth by showing him the importance of authentic friendship. Have an adult begin spending time with him, and surround him with a community of youth who have fun but also don’t make him feel incredibly guilty for playing games.

The Church Hater
It is likely that you will have youth come to your programs who for various reasons are forced to attend. Or, this may also refer to those youth in the schools that you may only be able to reach through their friends who are in your programs . Simply doing fun activities or trying to impress them with entertainment will not be enough. Encouraging a missionary culture and simply being real with them are good first steps to become a bridge to Christ for these youth.

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