AProtestant/EvangelicalYouth ministryis aChristian ministryintended to instruct and discipleyouthsin what it means to be a Christian, how to mature as a Christian, and how to encourage others to claimJesusas theirSavior. This is accomplished through teaching, relationship building and/ormentoring. Youth ministries may vary widely depending on theirdenomination, size,liberalorconservativeoutlook and geographic location. The ministries themselves are almost always built on relationships between the youth minister and thestudentand their shared perception of their relationship toGod. Because of the evolving nature of Youth Ministries it is difficult to pinpoint a specific starting point, however a modest estimate would date the profession to approximately 150 years old. Youth have become an integral part of nearly every churchs ministry programming, and youth ministries continue to have a profound impact on the societies in which they exist.

History of youth ministry[edit]While youth organizations exist worldwide, the history section of this article will put a special focus on the development of youth ministry in America.The beginnings of youth ministry took place in the mid-19th century, in the wake of theindustrial revolution.Churchestook note of all the young men who moved into central urban areas to work in factories. Laypersons who noticed that these young adults working six days a week and gallivanting about town on Sundays aspired to educate them. And so, early youth ministry began when churches brought older children and teenagers into classrooms to teach them how to read theBible. Early ministry was designed for unchurched children with no formal education; while the primary goal of early youth ministry was education, a desirable secondary effect was that students would realize through biblical passages that they aresinnersin need offorgiveness.

The origins of youth ministry lie inSunday schoolslike this 1900OklahomaclassEventually, churches opened up Sunday school to church members and unchurched children and teens alike. Teachers encouraged the students to bring their friends along, and the movement gained momentum. Laypersons would often work independently, neither subjecting themselves to congregational scrutiny nor receiving church funding. This fostered the development ofinterdenominationalteaching programs and, eventually, faith-based organizations devoted to youth such as theYMCAandYWCA, whose American branches were founded in the 1850s.The most recognizable first effort to offer periodic Bible studies, social networking and outreach opportunities for youth was spearheaded by Dr.Francis Edward Clark. He began the Christian Endeavor Society in 1881. Dr. Clark wanted to change the view of young people in churches from pitchers waiting to be filled to young adults responsible for larger service in the church of Christ. The Christian Endeavor Society revolutionized youth ministry and became extremely popular in its first few years of operation. Dr. Clark set the limit for each society at 80 members. As more young adults came to members, more societies were formed. By 1887, there were 700 societies with over 50,000 members spread out across 33 states.One common speculation is that churches in the 1880s became fearful that they would lose all of their young members to these societies. In response, many mainstream denominations began their own youth organizations modeled after the Christian Endeavor Society. Some examples are theMethodistchurchsEpworth League, or the LutheransLuther League. These new church-based organizations as well as interdenominational ones already in existence flourished, increasing in attendance and international outreach involvement as a part offaith-based foreign aid.After World War I, the focus of many youth ministries began to shift from efforts to outreach andconvertto efforts to educate students and increase their understanding of theirfaith. It was during this time that the teenagers began to think theologically as well as gain a social awareness of the world around them. From the 1930s to the 1960s, the churches emphasizedfellowshipand theological understanding.Before 1940 it was the pastors job to do everything in the church, including youthfellowships. During the late 1940s there was some introduction of church youth committees - youth were returning from the war with great life-experience and they could not be kept out of leadership in the church just because they were in their twenties.The 1940s was also the beginning of parachurch ministries.Young Lifewas founded byJim Rayburnin 1941. TheYoung Lifeparachurch model proved to be effective at reaching young people for Christ, and by the early 1950s, parachurch youth ministries with full-time staff flourished.Billy Grahamwas the first full-time parachurch worker forYouth for Christ(YfC) in the USA. This movement spread quickly around the world. During the 1950s, parachurch ministries grew rapidly in most Christianized countries, and the focus of activity was on large events, known as Rallies, and stadium events, known as "Crusades". The emphasis was on promoting inter-church activities (between local denominational churches) mainly in the format of youth rallies the type of stadium events made popular by YfC.