Protestant youth ministry

Youth ministries may vary widely depending on their denomination, size, liberal or conservative outlook and geographic location.

The doctrine of Sunday Sabbatarianism held by many Christian denominations encourages practices such as Sunday School attendance as it teaches that the entirety of the Lord's Day should be devoted to God; as such many children and teenagers often return to church in the late afternoon for youth group before attending an evening service of worship.

Laypersons who noticed these young adults working six days a week and gallivanting about town on Sundays aspired to educate them.

This fostered the development of interdenominational teaching programs and, eventually, faith-based organizations devoted to youth such as the YMCA and YWCA, whose American branches were founded in the 1850s.

American clergyman Francis Edward Clark founded the Christian Endeavor Society in 1881, which further popularized youth ministry.

In response to the rapid expansion of the Christian Endeavor Society, mainstream denominations began their own youth organizations modeled after it.

These new church-based organizations, as well as interdenominational ones already in existence, flourished, increasing in attendance and international outreach involvement as a part of faith-based foreign aid.

After World War I, the focus of many youth ministries began to shift from outreach and conversion to education and understanding of faith.

Many college-aged students did not have their theological needs met by these fellowship groups; soon thereafter, even younger adolescents began to see their organizations as institutionalized and irrelevant.

More recently, despite Francis Edward Clark's original intent for youth ministry to raise young adults “responsible for larger service in the Church of Christ,”[citation needed] studies[clarification needed] indicate significant numbers of young people are not transitioning into the Adult Church from Youth Ministry after graduation from high school.

This person may be a layperson, hold a religious degree, or be a member of the ordained clergy, depending on the needs and resources of the church.

Services may include a time for worship, drama, games or other activities as well as fellowship through conversation and/or food, and prayer.