Youth Workers In Congregations Share Goals, But Don't Work Together
By Dr. Peter C. Scales And Eugene C. Roehlkepartain
(From February 1996, Source Newsletter)
Youth workers in congregations share many goals in positive youth development, but few feel they
are effective in reaching those goals, according to a recent study by Search Institute.
The study-supported by the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund-was part of a larger exploration of
the training and resource needs of youth workers in congregations. The study involved youth workers
of many faiths in seven diverse geographic communities. The findings suggest that, given the right
opportunity, congregational youth workers from diverse faith traditions could act together to become
more effective resources for all young people in their community.
Shared Goals
In general, congregational youth workers from many faith traditions agree on which goals are important
for their youth programs (see box on this page). Equally important, eight of the top 10 goals they name
are non-sectarian (goals without specific religious content). Thus, diverse faith traditions share a
commitment to providing the climate, relationships, skills, and values that are important to young people's
overall healthy development.
As striking as the shared goals among youth workers is their feeling that they do not achieve most of
their top goals, either faith-specific or non-sectarian. Only one of the goals is reportedly being
achieved "very well" by a majority of youth workers.
Furthermore, the gap between importance and achievement is extremely high for several goals: reaching
out to serve at-risk youth; developing youth values and skills; keeping youth involved in the congregation;
and helping youth build caring relationships with other youth.
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Shared Needs and Interests
Just as they share goals and a sense that they are not accomplishing their goals, youth workers also
express a shared need for more training and resources, with 72 percent of youth workers indicating they
want more of this type of support.
They are also interested in similar training and resource topics and issues. At least four out of five
youth workers are interested in training and resources on nurturing spiritual growth (83 percent) and
helping youth make positive life choices (80 percent). Additional areas of high interest include:
- Nurturing healthy relationships between youth and adults (67 percent)
- Getting and keeping youth involved in the congregation (64 percent)
- Developing meaningful service projects for youth (64 percent)
- Helping youth deal with problems (63 percent)
- Developing leadership skills in young people (62 percent)
- Increasing the congregation's commitment to youth (60 percent)
- Supporting and educating parents (59 percent)
- Teaching doctrine, theology, and scripture (56 percent)
- Helping youth develop social skills (55 percent)
While youth workers across faith traditions share these interests, their needs do differ based on
their job status and the youth they serve:
- Job Status-The training concerns of youth workers are quite different depending on whether they
are volunteer or paid staff. While both groups want more training and materials (67 percent of paid
workers and 76 percent of volunteers), they differ in the specifics. Volunteers are much more likely
to say they want training, but none is available locally (24 percent versus 9 percent for paid). Paid
youth workers are more likely to cite an absence of advanced training as a problem (39 percent versus
26 percent for volunteers).
- Youth Served-Differences in youth served also shape people's priorities. Our study found that
training and resources on service projects, youth leadership, and how to link with other youth
programs are requested more often by youth workers in congregations where the majority of the youth
either live in low-income settings or are African American.
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Shared Opportunities
The shared interests and needs suggest a significant opportunity for cooperation among youth workers.
By working together, youth workers can share resources and ideas, and develop cooperative efforts that
address young people's pressing needs in the community.
Many of the youth workers surveyed are very interested in working with and getting to know youth workers
from other faith traditions. One indicator of this is that almost half say they would be interested in
being part of an interfaith network for the following purposes:
- To highlight the positive role the religious community can play on behalf of youth (47 percent)
- To make the community better for all youth by articulating common values and providing positive
opportunities (46 percent)
- To support each other and exchange programming ideas (44 percent)
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Shared Challenges
While congregational youth workers share many needs and interests, they also face several common
challenges related to youth development. Our study identified challenges in three areas:
- Keeping Youth Involved-One of the major challenges facing many congregations is keeping youth
involved, particularly through high school. While only 8 percent of youth workers say they have a
lot of trouble keeping fifth and sixth graders involved, 55 percent say they have trouble keeping
youth involved in grades 10 to 12.
While congregations often resign themselves to the exodus of high school youth, our study indicates
that it does not have to be this way. Two findings stand out:
- Youth workers who are achieving their youth development goals are much less likely than other
youth workers to say they have trouble keeping youth involved through high school.
- Several other program characteristics appear to contribute to keeping young people involved at
all grades. These include providing service opportunities, developing values and skills, and nurturing
positive relationships.
- Isolation of youth workers-Most youth workers interact little or not at all with their peers
outside their own denomination-despite the shared needs, interests, and concerns expressed across
faiths. Only about half of youth workers participate in training or other events with other congregations
in their own denomination, and only about one-fifth do so with other faiths or with secular youth workers.
One reason for this isolation may be a discomfort with interfaith cooperation. About 30 percent of
those surveyed said they were unwilling to collaborate with youth workers from any other faith. This
finding underscores that the faith community will not fully unite around these issues.
Shared Future
This study and others suggest important issues and opportunities that lie ahead for congregation-based
youth work. Three broad themes emerge:
- Refocusing Resource Materials And Training Opportunities-Though much is available to youth workers
nationally, this study highlights a number of gaps:
- Little is available that focuses on helping congregations address the positive development needs of youth.
- Many youth workers-particularly veteran professionals-are eager for advanced, in-depth training.
Yet such training is relatively uncommon.
- Few opportunities and resources are available that address the specific needs of congregations
serving low-income communities and communities of color.
- Broadening The Horizons For Congregational Youth Work-It is becoming increasingly clear that
many common approaches to youth work are inadequate and/or ineffective. To be most effective in
shaping young people's lives, youth workers must extend their efforts to supporting families,
engaging young people in the intergenerational community of faith, and reaching out to care for
young people in the community.
Until these fundamental shifts begin to occur, youth workers will continue to feel the pressure
to meet all of the needs of young people without the support and involvement of others-and without
being fully committed to a wider community that values congregations as an important resource for its youth.
- Building Interfaith Cooperation For Youth-Finally, the shared interests, commitments, and
needs of youth workers argue for increased attention to building relationships and cooperation
among the wide variety of religious youth workers within a community. Such efforts will make the
best use of the resources available for training and mentoring. This will, in turn, strengthen
the faith community's voice on behalf of young people.
Some youth workers will be comfortable simply becoming more effective in working with adolescents
within their congregation. But this study suggests that most are open to the challenge of working
with others in the community on behalf of youth. Furthermore, a substantial proportion are ready
to be leaders in that effort. It remains for this common commitment to be tapped, focused, and
strengthened to better meet the needs of all youth.
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How This Study Was Conducted
This survey involved 527 religious youth workers in seven geographically and demographically varied
sites in Minnesota, Missouri, and North Carolina in early 1995. They were identified by compiling a
census of all religious organizations within specified ZIP codes and seeking to identify at least one
youth worker in each organization. In-depth surveys (208 items) were mailed to each youth worker's
home or congregation address. The original sample included youth workers from many diverse traditions,
including Mainline Protestant, Evangelical, Catholic, Fundamentalist Christian, Pentecostal, Jewish,
Mormon, and Muslim. However, those responding to the survey were almost exclusively Christian.
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New Initiative Seeks To Equip Religious Youth Workers
Search Institute has received a major grant from the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund to launch a
four-year initiative to equip youth workers in congregations of all faiths to enhance young people's
base of developmental assets. The initiative offers youth workers:
- opportunities to participate in a network of youth workers in their community;
- access to quality training and practical resource materials to strengthen their congregation's
work with youth; and
- community-wide activities for youth and youth workers.
Seven communities will be involved in this initiative in the first four years; three have already been
named: south Minneapolis, Minnesota; Durham, North Carolina; and north St. Louis County, Missouri. For
more information, call Ann Betz at Search Institute, 1-800-888-7828.
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Available Resources
Two resources are available that report on and interpret this study's findings:
The Attitudes and Needs of Religious Youth Workers: Perspectives from the Field presents in detail the
study's findings.
Youth Development in Congregations: An Exploration of the Potential and Barriers integrates findings
from this study with other research to present a foundational resource on the potential of positive
youth development in congregations.
Reports are available from Search Institute.
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Copyright © 1995 by Search Institute. This article may be printed for personal use only. Other uses require prior permission
from Search Institute, 1-800-888-7828. All rights reserved.