The Relationship between Selected Ministry Factors and Effective Local Church Youth Evangelism: A Delphi Study

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine the relationship between selected ministry factors and effective youth evangelism in the local church. Youth ministers of churches in the top 100 churches in youth baptisms in the Southern Baptist Convention in 2008 served as the population for the study. This researcher used a three round delphi technique to discover the relationship between essential ministry factors and effective youth evangelism in the local church. The first round of the delphi study involved contacting the youth ministers of the top 100 churches in youth baptisms and inviting them to be a part of a study on youth evangelism. In the first round, the youth ministers were instructed to answer the question, "In your experience, what are the ministry factors you consider to be effective in evangelizing young people?" The answers for all the respondents were then compiled and the unique ministry factors among the answers were used in round 2. A total of 41 youth ministers responded to the rOlmd 1 survey. Round 2 utilized the unique ministry factors from round 1 and asked the youth ministers to score the individual ministry factors in terms of effectiveness from 1 to 4 with 1 being "somewhat effective" and 4 being "extremely effective." The 15 highest scoring ministry factors carried over to round 3. A total of33 participants completed round 2 of the survey. Round 3 presented the respondents with the task of rank-ordering the list of the top 15 ministry factors from round 2. Overall, 31 youth ministers completed all three rounds of the study. Follow-up interviews were also conducted with the youth ministers to add breadth and depth to the insight gained from the list of the top 15 ministry factors. The number one ministry factor in evangelizing young people, according to the respondents in the research project, was "prayer and reliance upon God to work in the hearts of students." A close second was" a youth pastor who is passionate about evangelism as an example to students." One overarching conclusion of the study was that the ministry factors that were most effective were not necessarily specific programs or reproducible activities. Rather, the most effective factors were intangible qualities centered upon a dependence on God and a passion to reach people. The researcher concluded that the most effective ministry factors in reaching young people evangelistically centered upon leadership, drive, passion, and vision. Keywords: Delphi, youth ministry, evangelism, best practices, baptism, student