Passionate About Working with Young People?
Are you passionate about working with young people to develop their faith and spirituality? Do you enjoy leading discussions on important issues for youth or working within a church context? If so, consider adding a Youth Ministry Certificate to your major at Bethel College.
This program is available to students of all majors. A highlight of the program is a youth ministry placement, where you will spend 10-12 hours a week for one semester working in a local congregation. This hands-on experience is personally rewarding, looks great on a resume, and provides valuable training for future employment.
Hands-on Learning
The practicum allows you to apply what you’ve learned in your courses and reflect on your spiritual growth and understanding of ministry. You’ll gain real-world experience in mentoring youth within the church.
Bethel College also helps students explore ministry opportunities beyond the Youth Ministry Certificate program. Students have enjoyed working with local churches in various ministries and participating in the Ministry Inquiry Program (MIP).
Participation in MIP offers leadership opportunities in a host congregation, where students engage in pastoral ministry experiences like preaching, leading worship, planning youth activities, and visiting members. These internships provide a chance to test pastoral gifts and interests in a supportive congregational setting.
Explore your passion for youth ministry with the Youth Ministry Certificate at Bethel College and make a meaningful impact on the lives of young people while preparing for your future career.
MIP is open to students of any denomination who will be placed in a Mennonite Church USA congregation. For more information or to make arrangements for MIP participation, contact Peter Goerzen, Bible and Religion Faculty.
Outcomes
Bethel required me to take into account other faiths and other cultures in a way that aided in my personal/spiritual formation and self-identity.—Tory Doerksen ’04, youth ministry
Post-graduate careers include:
- Working as a youth pastor in a congregation
- Working in a social or community program focused on youth
Graduates have served as youth pastors, gone on to take seminary classes, and served as a group leader for Mennonite Mission Network’s Service Adventure program.
Notable Alumni:
Tory Doerksen – ’04
Tory’s strong interests in both music and ministry made him the perfect candidate for Bethel’s Youth Ministry Certificate program. As a Bethel student, Tory experienced a tangible effect of a liberal arts education. “The greatest gift of the Youth Ministry Certificate [was] the mentoring from different areas of expertise – ministerial as well as the social work and psychology departments,” Tory says.
After graduating from Bethel, Tory worked for a year as a youth minister at Shalom Mennonite Church in Newton and studied at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary-Great Plains extension in North Newton before becoming a group leader for Mennonite Mission Network’s Service Adventure program in Lebanon, Ore. Tory finished his M.Div. degree at George Fox Evangelical Seminary in Portland, Ore., and then joined the pastoral staff of First Mennonite Church, Denver, as pastor for child and youth faith formation.
Coursework
The curriculum integrates courses from Bible and religion, conflict resolution and social work and includes a youth ministry placement (10–12 hours a week for one semester) in a local congregation.
