Vision, Training and Safety

Without vision, the people perish… [Proverbs 29:18a]

Every youth ministry is tasked with having a clearly stated vision. In order to enact that vision, strong and faithful leaders need to be properly supervised and trained in providing spaces of unconditional love and acceptance for young people. This requires support from and engagement with the entire faith community. When all of these things provide the undergirding of a youth program, that program cannot help but grow in breadth and in depth.

Training Modules

	Title	Details
	Promulgating and Implementing Church Safety Guidelines	Theologians, philosophers, and pastors discuss the importance of maintaining boundaries, creating church safety guidelines, and …
	Envisioning, Building and Sustaining Thriving Youth Ministries	Leading theologians and pastors explore the importance of youth ministry and how developing a mission …
	Recruiting, Training and Supervising Youth Workers and Volunteers	Leading theologians and pastors discuss the importance of attracting, training and supervising both youth workers …
	Integrating Youth Ministry into the Wider Congregation	This course explores the place of youth ministry within the congregation and how the church …

Curricular and Sample Materials

	Title	Details
	New Youth Leader “Crash Course”	Best practices for new youth workers and volunteers.
	Developing and Implementing a Church Safety Policy	These are resources for researching, creating and enforcing a church safe conduct policy.
	Safe Conduct Resources	A listing of denominational resources on church safety policies.
	Internal Check List for Hiring Youth Workers	This list outlines suggested steps to take around church safety when hiring youth workers.
	Safe Conduct Reference Check Questions	Examples of questions for a reference check to be in compliance with safe conduct concerns.
	Safe Conduct Teen Volunteer Disclosure Form	Sample disclosure forms for teen volunteers in youth ministry.
	Interview Questions for Youth Workers	These are examples of interview questions for people applying for youth worker positions.
	Nurturing Joy: Emotional Health 101	This lesson focuses on the important concerns of depression and suicide among youth.
	Advisor-Leader Handbook	A sample handbook for training youth leaders.
	Youth Group Fall Schedule	Example of a fall schedule of youth group programming.
	Youth Group Handbook	This is an example of a youth group handbook outlining the philosophies and plans of youth program(s).
	Parent-Guardian Meeting	This lesson provides an outline for a meeting with parents-guardians at the beginning of a youth group program year.

Articles and Readings

	Title	Details
	Youth Wisdom: Pointing Towards Joy and Flourishing	An essay by Mary Elizabeth Moore and Yara Gonzalez-Justiniano on the wisdom of youth from the Joy and Adolescent Faith and Flourishing project.
	“Holding Lightly”: Cultivating Playfulness in Youth	An essay by Courtney Goto and Lakisha Lockhart on the importance of playfulness for adolescents from the Joy and Adolescent Faith and Flourishing project.
	Mentoring Youth for Joy in Anxious Times	An essay by Allan Hugh Cole, Jr. and Philip Browning Helsel on anxiety and adolescents from the Joy and Adolescent Faith and Flourishing project.
	Supporting the Emotional and Spiritual Lives of Adolescents	An essay by Nadja Reilly, Sarah F. Farmer, and Katherine Hyde on adolescent mental health from the Joy and Adolescent Faith and Flourishing project.
	Fake Joy: Substance Abuse and Young People’s Search for Wholeness	An essay by Joyce Mercer and Charles E. Atkins, Jr. on substance abuse from the Joy and Adolescent Faith and Flourishing project.
	Integrating Youth into the Wider Congregation	Articles and resources on the place of youth ministry within the wider congregation.
	Envisioning, Building and Sustaining Thriving Youth Ministries	Articles and resources on building and sustaining thriving youth ministries.
	Belonging: Paul’s Notion of Autarkes	This reading is a segment by Michal Beth Dinkler from "Joy: A Guide for Youth Ministry".
	Recruiting, Training and Supervising Youth Workers	Further reading on how to build and supervise your youth ministry team.
	An Open Letter to Youth Ministers – Laura Carlson Hasler	Laura Carlson Hasler, the Alvin H. Rosenfeld Chair in Jewish Studies, Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and Religious Studies at Indiana University writes an open letter to youth ministers.
	An Open Letter to Youth Ministers – Eric D. Barreto	Eric D. Barreto, Associate Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary writes to youth ministers.
	An Open Letter to Youth Ministers – Amanda Mbuvi	Dr. Amanda Mbuvi, Assistant Professor of Religion at Highpoint University writes to youth ministers.
	An Open Letter to Youth Ministers – Matthew Croasmun	Matthew Croasmun, Associate Research Scholar for the Yale Center for Faith and Culture writes to youth ministers.
	An Open Letter to Youth Ministers – Michal Beth Dinkler	Michal Beth Dinkler, Associate Professor of New Testament at Yale Divinity School writes an open letter to youth ministers.
	An Open Letter to Youth Ministers – Allen Hilton	Rev. Dr. Allen Hilton, founder and executive director of House United, a nonprofit initiative that helps groups collaborate across theological and political differences, writes an open letter to Youth Ministers.

Best Practice Videos

	Title	Details
	Starting Out	Building Your Ministry – The Essentials
	Supervision	Recruiting, Training, and Supervising Youth Workers and Volunteers
	Church Safety	Promulgating and Implementing Church Safety Guidelines
	The Wider Congregation	Integrating Youth Ministry into the Wider Congregation
	Parents and Families	Ministering Effectively with Parents and Families
	Stewardship	Practicing Responsible and Effective Stewardship

Yale Youth Ministry Institute

Vision, Training and Safety

Vision, Training and Safety

Training Modules

Curricular and Sample Materials

Articles and Readings

Best Practice Videos

JOIN OUR COMMUNITY