Strategic Reasons for Youth Ministry

I came across this blog post recently, written by a Youth Pastor about why he invests his life in youth  ministry despite many times he was asked, "When are you getting a real job?" as in a job to handle Adults. He shared his ten strategic reaons to serve in youth ministry :-

1. 85% of the people who trust in Jesus do so before the age of 18.*
2. The average teen has at least 200 online and face-to-face friends they can reach with the gospel.**
3. Teenagers have 100x’s more influence on their friends than strangers have (which can be unleashed to advance the gospel.)***
4. Generally speaking, adults would rather fund an outreach than actually reach out.
5. Many Christian teens attend public schools which provides them a daily context for relational evangelism.
6. Teenagers are looking for a cause and making disciples is the ultimate one (Matthew 28:18-20.)
7. Young people have been used to trigger revolutions and massive social change.
8. Major spiritual awakening have had teenagers helping to lead the way.
9. Teens are smart enough to make a difference and dumb enough to think they can (which means they can!)
10. God has chosen teenagers throughout Biblical history to advance His cause (David, Esther, Joseph, the disciples, etc.)

His reasons are strategic and realistic but I have a different list. Here are my own personal strategic reasons for involving in youth ministry and believing in youth :-

1. I believe the youths are our future. Regardless what we think of them, they will lead and rule the world one day. If I am given an opportunity to shape someone's life who will make a better life in the future impacting others then why not?
2. Leadership is vital for happiness in this world. Despite having no leadership quality in many people (teachers, parents etc), eveyone will become a leader at certain stage of his / her life. Everyone should learn how to be lead and how to be a leader. The best time to teach leadership is during youth time.
3. Street-Smart is just as important, if not more important than high IQ, this is what we call living style and it is not taught in schools such as how to resolve conflicts with friends, conflict in leadership styles, being a host, how to respond in emergency situations etc etc. In Brigade, I get to teach girls every week about making this world a better place through good living.
4. Youths are in hunger for guidance and affirmation. When they seem to be indepedent and full of youthful ideas, a lot of them do not stand the test of time, they need guidance to make better decisions and they need affirmation of their ideas. Once they have learnt this, they will move forward and shine. 
5. Youths are teachable, believe it or not, they are at the most teachable age of their entire life! The next time they are teachable will likely be the day their world falls apart or when they bang their head real hard by incidents from this heartless world. Seize the moments to teach, catch them when you still can, for some youths, such moments are rare and do not come without a fight. 
6. They are at the best age to make a mistake in organising, planning or execution. They should be given a chance to "try and error" on organisation skills, so that if they make a mess, we could step in to redeem the situation. We could help to undo the wrongs in planning and organising and to teach them a lesson or two about what not to do in the future and give them a check list for what they must do. Youths who are denied of this chance of making mistakes, will still make those mistakes when they are adults and there be no more "try and error" or "undone" button. It will be too late and damage is sometimes not salvagable. 
7. Youth have many dreams and they are so positive about outlooks in life, so much so that spending more time with them will just make you rejuvenate your own life. You actually can be young in heart like them. I think youthfulness is contagious, age is just a number, as the saying goes : you do not stop playing when you get old; but you get old when you stop playing. With their dreams, they need some guidance, encouragement to grow their dreams and not give up.
8. Most of the successful people have a major influence and impact from their youth that transformed their lives. They could have met a mentor, discovered a philosopher, and that become a pivotal turning point of their lives.
9. Youths can be an influence to people around them, their friends. We realise that youths always listen to their friends' advises more than their parents. 
10. Helping and teaching youth is a give-back to my mentors during my youth and a way to pay-forward for my own next generation. The youths that I help today will be leaders to my own children and this is a cycle of influence going on and on.

https://www.dare2share.org/article/10-strategic-reasons-i-chose-to-invest-my-life-in-youth-ministry/