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A Protestant/Evangelical Youth ministry is a Christian ministry intended to teach and disciple youths in what it means to be a Christian, how to mature as a Christian, and how to encourage others to claim Jesus as their Savior. This is accomplished through instructing, relationship building and/or mentoring. Youth ministries may be quite varied depending on their denomination, size, liberal or conservative outlook and geographic location. The ministries themselves are nearly always built on relationships between the youth minister and the student and their shared perception of their relationship to God. 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 about 150 years old. Youth have become an integral part of almost every church’s ministry programming, and youth ministries continue to have a deep impact on the societies in which they exist.
Most youth groups often follow a similar organizational model. The church that supports them will provide an allocation of funds to use for the activities of the group. It also will employ a paid staff member or volunteer to lead the group, called the Youth pastor, youth minister, pastor of student ministries, youth leader, or other similar terms. This person can be either a lay person, hold a religious degree, or be a member of the ordained clergy, depending on the necessitys and resources of the church. His or her duties may include orchestrating the activities of the group (in particular, the information of the regular meetings below), giving pastoral care for the members of the youth group, managing a budget for the youth group, and serving as a liaison between the youth and adult bodies of the congregation.
Today's youth ministries hold regular meetings, usually at the same time as adult functions at the church. Youth group meetings commonly feature the same kinds of activities as a Sunday morning church service, modified to reflect the culture of the age groups involved. Services may include a time for worship, drama, games or other activities, fellowship through conversation and/or food, and prayer. Many youth ministers also present a sermon or devotional. It's usual for youth groups to attend Christian summer camps each year.
Most denominations arrange their youth ministry programs according to related educational levels. American churches often separate youth by grade level, developing smaller sub-groups within a youth ministry program. These distinctions most commonly fall between middle school and high school. Traditionally, componentary age children and below have separate programs altogether, though this, too, can be managed by the same youth pastor. Some youth groups even extend up through college students, developing an additional sub-group usually alluded to as "college and career".