Taking the Temperature is a process which helps a church to consider constructively its current ministry to young people. Thrive Youth Ministries works alongside a local church over a period of a few months to properly assess current youth provision and to recommend possible enhancements.

The review is based around a series of meetings within the church to gauge what the church, as a body, understands about its work with young people, to see how currently held values of the church are likely to provide a fertile soil for growth for youth ministry, and to highlight any areas that may need to be developed. This could then lead into helping a church discern God’s vision for them for working with young people.

The Process

Andy Castle will facilitate the process and create a summary of the audit at the end for the leadership to discuss. The audit works by having a series of meetings with different groupings in the church so that an honest reality is discovered as to the current level of youth ministry provision.

The audit would hope to assess:

  • The methods of discipling young people in the church
  • The outreach and evangelism opportunities
  • What happens as young people go to university or start work
  • How young people fit in with the wider church family
  • The ways young people can grow and use their gifts to contribute to church life
  • The recruiting, training, and nurturing of youth leaders
  • The resources available for youth ministry

These areas will be explored through a mixture of open discussion and a series of set questions, which require a grade as a response. This will be useful in comparing difference of opinions across the different groupings.

It is recommended that the groupings would be:

  • The church leadership
  • Youth leadership team
  • A cross section of young people
  • A cross section of the church (ideally across the age spectrum, as well as including some parents)

In addition, it would be useful to meet with the youth minister, or whoever oversees the youth ministry. Each meeting would last in the region of 90 minutes.

Once the audit has been carried out, a report will be produced, and a presentation can be made to some or all of those who have participated.

 

First step
It is recommended that the audit begins with a meeting with one of the church leaders to clarify hopes for the process, to agree a timescale and to provide any useful church background and history which may help the facilitator have a better understanding of the individual church.

To explore Taking the Temperature with your church, get in touch.

“Different people in the Church had different ideas about how we should proceed with youth work.  I thought an objective independent review would be really useful in pointing up options, and the THRIVE review did exactly that.  All the relevant stakeholders were listened to and a really helpful report told us some of what we already knew and a lot we didn’t, with constructive suggestions made in each area, which we are now working through. Great job Andy!”
Andy Laird, Minister, Dale Street Methodist Church, Leamington