Emily Lawrence, Director of Next Generations at Asbury UMC, prepares for youth group. Photos by Doreen Gosmire.

"The best way to reach youth is to model Christ's love through each other. The adult leaders love them, mentor them, and show that they care. The youth know they get to be themselves when they are here and that they're accepted. It's been amazing to see these young kids grow up, now inviting their friends, and then their friends become core members of this group. They serve on our leadership team and our worship team," said Emily Lawrence, Director of Next Generations Ministries at Asbury United Methodist Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Youth ministry is a priority for many churches. The Barna Group reports six in 10 (61%) senior pastors say youth ministry is "one of the top priorities" of their church's ministry, and seven percent say it is the single highest priority. Asbury UMC has prioritized youth ministry and is seeing the fruits of its efforts.

"COVID was tough for everybody. Our youth program was hit particularly hard, and we were struggling. We did some strategic planning. I tapped into the energy, people, and resources that were already here. We went from four kids coming to youth group to 40 youth showing up on Wednesday nights," Lawrence said.

The growth and synergy caught the attention of the Fuller Youth Institute's Ten x 10 Initiative. Lawrence and Rev. Kip Roozen, lead pastor at Asbury UMC, will be on a panel at the Ten x 10 Summit this October in Atlanta, Georgia. A video featuring the youth ministry at Asbury will be featured at the Summit.

"The aim of theTen x 10 Initiative is to reach like 10 million kids in 10 years for Jesus," said Lawrence. "I did an online interview with a few people from Ten by 10. They said, 'You know, we'd love to hear more. We would love to send a crew and get footage. In October, we'll fly you out to Atlanta to attend the conference."

When Roozen heads to Atlanta with Lawrence, they will share how their congregation is making youth ministry a priority.

"It's one thing to say we want an active youth ministry, but another thing to do it.  People often say, 'I'll give money to it,' but often stop there. People are volunteering and making things happen. Emily is good at recruiting people," said Pastor Kip.

Full-time youth director

Emily Lawrence grew up at Asbury UMC. Her family started attending when she was in sixth grade, and she was an active member of the youth group. After college, she moved back to Sioux Falls with her husband and children. They found a church home at Asbury UMC.

"I didn't know if I wanted to go back to the same church I grew up in. We came and we loved hearing Pastor Kip speak. After reconnecting with some familiar faces, we knew this is where we needed to be," Emily shared.

For several years, the congregation had a part-time youth director. In the summer of 2023, after the part-time youth director resigned, Lawrence, who has a background in counseling, non-profit organizations, and development, was asked to lead a strategic planning effort.

"I was noticing that we didn't have as much going on for youth anymore. Each year it seemed less and less, and it bothered me," described Emily. "It was such a meaningful experience for me when I was younger. I said, 'Don't hire anybody new. I've done some program development; let's build on that. That way, when you're ready to hire, we can have a job description and goals in place. Just hire me temporarily to do some brainstorming and planning.'"

As the summer was winding down, people did not want Emily to leave. She felt called to do more. The congregation found the financial resources to hire Emily full-time as the youth ministry director. They supported her by providing coaching and training through Youth Ministry Architects, where she continues to keep in contact with her coach.

"I didn't have any preconceived ideas. We got creative to start fresh with everything. After that coaching was done, I stayed in touch," she said.

Coaching provided the opportunity to learn how to build frameworks for the ministry.

Intentional space and systems

Four rooms at Asbury were remodeled for the youth ministry.

"These kids were here, and they were hungry for this connection. We needed to be intentional with the program and give them the space that they needed," shared Emily.

Familiar and foundational systems were put into place. One of the first steps was creating an inviting space for youth. The congregation remodeled rooms that were once dedicated to a daycare that had closed. One of the youth ministry volunteers is an interior designer. She created a design for the four rooms that inspires youth and the congregation.

"The congregation has been very supportive. Initially, the goal was to raise $35,000 to remodel rooms, but we raised over $50,000. Very quickly, we spent that. People were very generous. They were excited about Emily's position. We quickly bumped it up to full-time. That was part of our strategic plan. We had to raise extra money for our annual budget," described Pastor Kip.

Teams were built to lead small groups and worship. Worship planning is guided by Rev. Matt Morrison, associate pastor at Asbury UMC. A youth band is led by a volunteer from the congregation, a local musician who learned to play the guitar when he was a youth at Asbury. He feels like it is his turn to give back.

Small group leaders are a core part of the ministry. A curriculum guides the conversation in the small groups. The leaders focus on intentional listening and building relationships.

"We built small groups and we built a worship team with a youth band. Those things were never in place. Now, they can stand on their own," described Emily.

A student leadership team is a driving force behind decisions. Youth leaders plan bigger events. They are the main hospitality drivers, and serve as the greeters. They help set up and tear down, give announcements, and lead prayers. The youth leadership team participates in their own book study to delve deeper into scripture, exploring it in a way that fosters leadership development.

Together, the youth leadership team and the youth ministry team have implemented a relational discipleship model.

Emily exclaimed, "It's a huge blessing. I feel like I'm a facilitator in a big way, and they are really discipling these kids. It's incredible to watch. We have built a youth family."

Wednesday nights at Asbury

The Wednesday night agenda for youth ministry at Asbury UMC.

Each Wednesday, multiple generations gather for a mid-week meal at 5:15 p.m. Following the meal, there is Joy Singers—a children's choir, Spark and Sprouts— a children's ministry, adult small groups, youth ministry, and worship.

Youth meet twice a month from 6-8 p.m. The evening begins with hangout time at 6-6:30. Youth hang out to enjoy snacks, drinks, and sodas, and to connect. Adults are out wandering, hanging out with the youth, and playing games.

At 6:30 p.m., everyone heads to the fellowship hall for a large group. During the transitional time, there is a game or activity while everyone moves into the space, followed by singing.

At 6:55, everyone listens to a message based on scripture, current events, or the curriculum. Emily and Pastor Matt deliver large group messages. Sometimes, another member of the congregation or a guest from the community shares a message with the large group. The message is followed by a time of corporate worship.

At 7:15 -8:00 p.m., small groups gather. During hangout time, small group leaders pick up a binder filled with the materials that were received earlier in the week by e-mail and review the small group materials for that night. It is also an opportunity for small group leaders to share ideas. There are 12-14 small group leaders, all volunteers ranging in age from 20 to 70, who are members of Asbury UMC.

"Small groups are where youth connect with God," explains Emily. "A lot of the youth who grew up here were not connecting anywhere else. This is the church they came to. Now, I feel like instead of looking to go where their friends are, they're bringing their friends here. I've had parents say, 'You know, we were looking for another church and now this is my daughter's favorite night of the week.'"

Transformation

Asbury youth and leader at Storm Mountain Camp.

Transformation is taking place for the youth, adults, and the congregation through the youth ministry at Asbury.

Callie has been coming to youth group and Emily convinced her to attend to Storm Mountain Camp with other youth from Asbury. It was a transformational experience.

"Being at Storm Mountain truly changed me in ways I never expected. I felt God working in me—healing, guiding, and reminding me that I'm never alone," Callie said in a statement she wrote.

One of the high school students comes entirely on their own to the youth group. Her family doesn't go to church. She loves the youth group and is a core member of the group. Like this student, other students find this is the only church that they get, a youth group on Wednesdays.

Josh has cerebral palsy. He lives across the street– a bustling street, Western Avenue.

"He'll just barrel across Western Avenue. It's terrifying," describes Emily.  "Ralph walks him home across the street when it is dark. No matter who you are, you get to be here in our family. That is, I think what makes Asbury pretty special."

The divergent, diverse needs of a sixth-grade boy connecting with an eleventh-grade girl can be found in this youth ministry. Young people are connecting around faith, growing in their love for Jesus, and understanding what it means to live a Christ-filled life.

In the future, the goal is to continue growing the number of youth served, while ultimately deepening their faith.

Emily sums it up this way. "It's not rocket science. I just tapped into what was already here. It has been incredible to watch these kids grow!"