Throughout my years as a youth minister, I made it a priority to network with other youth ministers. Whether it was at a local gathering, a national training conference, or a summer camp for teens, I always found this time to be extremely valuable. In some instances, we would pray with each other. At other times we might discuss issues we were dealing with at our parishes. There were also moments when we would share a new icebreaker or skit idea. Regardless of the discussion, it always seemed so beneficial, that is, unless one question came up: “How many?”
The “How many” question can be asked in a variety of ways:
“How many teens do you have?”
“How big is your group?”
“You had a retreat last weekend? How many teens went?”
Given the world we live in, the “How many” question is a tempting one to ask. In our society numbers indicate success. Whether it’s in business, sports, school, or some other area of life, the one who has higher numbers is likely to be viewed as more successful. So, it’s no wonder why so many of us in ministry look at our numbers as an indicator of success. But for all of us asking, “How many,” I have a follow up question, “When did quantity become the new quality?”
Now before I go further, I must humbly admit that I’ve asked the “How many” question. I’ve asked it of other youth ministers. I’ve asked it of myself. And, I’m disappointed to say, I’ve used it to compare my ministry to others.
Quantity became a great source of pride for me, and once I learned this, I realized that, in ministry, there is an inherent problem judging success based on numbers. Why not focus more on quality?
The problem with quantity is that it points to us, while quality points to God. When quantity says, “Look at all the teens that are coming. I’m such a great youth minister.” Quality says, “Look at the depth of prayer in these teens. God must really be moving.” When we focus on quantity, we lead teens to ourselves. When we focus on quality, we bring them to Jesus.
So allow me to propose another question to measure our success in youth ministry: “How well?”
“How well are we leading teens to the sacraments?”
“How well are we evangelizing those who don’t know Christ’s love?”
“How well are we developing teens into true disciples?
It’s time to officially retire the “How many” question from youth ministry. Let’s focus on quality, and something tells me that when we do, the quantity will come.
Question: How do you measure quality in your ministry? (Share below.)
Great Article, Eric! We all need this reminder in ministry. Are they coming to mass? Are the spending time in Adoration? Are they recognizing their need for his mercy and seeking it it out in Reconciliation?
Thanks Heather! As I was praying through and writing this, I thought to myself, “What would be a great indicator of success? If I had 100 teens coming every Sunday but none of them participated regularly in the sacraments, or if I had 20 teens that all participated regularly in the sacraments?” I think the answer is obvious. Of course, if I had 100 teens and all were participating in the sacraments that would be ideal, but then, still the measure of success is their faith not them counting as a number in the youth group.
I remember one retreat, where the numbers were low, and even though no one said it, I felt their disappointment; yet all the teen and adult leaders proceeded with enthusiasm, and afterwards all I could say was that it was the Biggest retreat ever- because of all the good God provided for everyone there. God’s love overflowed that weekend. It was a lesson for all of us.
Pam, That is awesome! I’m sure God did some things on that retreat weekend that will last a lifetime! Amen!
Thank you for this article, Mr. Porteous.
Working for the over the years Church I have seen and experienced a decrease in numbers because of increase of fidelity to the Magisterium. Your words are extremely important for Youth Ministry, as it is a ministry most tempted to water down and fluff up in order to attract teens.
This is great encouragement for all YMs to listen to their conscience when God tells us to give the teens His full life, even when teens, and sadly some parents and priests, might oppose us for not focusing on quantity as a measure of success.
God bless you!
You’re welcome Daniel. Thank you for you perseverance and faithfulness.
This is a great article I really wish people I know would read, thank you Mr. Eric! I’m not a minister, I’m a kid (for now). I’ve been in the youthgroups at my Church and school literally my entire life. I’m really avid about it and go to everything I can. But it always KILLS me when my dedication and loyalty to the youthgroup was measured by how many friends I was bringing in- which would be zero… I’ve had alot of bad friend senarios, the only friendships that have lasted are my friends in the youthgroup. I don’t think I’m the only kid who feels this way, but pressuring and measuring kids by number just isn’t right, and it really hurts the kids who actually do care and want to come despite the fact they have to come alone because no one will join them. I thought it was beautiful when kids showed up alone, I mean, I know how that feels, it’s not easy- it’s brave. It’s a different type of evanglization- wordless example. And the results take time, sometimes alot of time to show up, but it’s not about the results (thank God), I mean think of it this way, good deeds and sacrifice have the power to change hearts. But what happens if (when) a good deed is done in sacrifice and no hearts are changed… does that mean the good deed no longer counts, it’s no longer good and deserves scorn, is less of a sacrifice and success than a good deed that provides an earthly harvest to reap? I certainly hope that’s not what anyones saying, because that’s just a terrible thing to tell anyone. I wrote this hoping it could provide personal backup to what Mr. Eric wrote. Sorry for writing so much, but I was really excited to see someone, and an adult at that, speaking up about this and putting into words what I don’t know how to. Again, great job Mr. Eric!
Elise, Thank you for your comment, and thank you for your faithfulness. I’m sure our Lord must be so proud of you as you continue to seek Him throughout your life. May God continue to bless you with His love, joy and grace.
How can we get pastors to think this way too? Because it’s not a rare thing for my pastor to want to know “how many?” and then be disappointed with the numbers.
Stephen, I wish there was an easy answer to this, but every pastor is different. I think for a lot of them we need to show them the quality of ministry that’s happening. I remember one of the coolest things that happened at our parish. One morning during the summer I had asked a couple of the teens to join me for Daily Mass. I didn’t tell the pastor we were going to do this. We were just going to show up. The teens had told some of the other teens in the youth group that we were going. That morning 20 teens showed up at Daily Mass. While it’s not about the number of teens that went, it absolutely blew away the usual Daily Mass attendees as well as our Associate Pastor who did Mass that day. It also go the ball rolling to show our parish that the quality was more important, and when teens learn the importance of something like Daily Mass, we know they’re headed in the right direction.
Eric, thank you so much for this article. Coming from two small suburban parishes that have NEVER had a youth ministry and where the TOTAL number of registered teens is barely over 100, I’m tired of going to conferences and running into the “numbers” mentality. I wholeheartedly agree that quality will lead to quantity. We’ve witnessed it here. With quality being our goal, we’ve seen our attendance double each year we’ve been in existence. It’s a constant temptation to want to focus on “numbers”, but we pray as a team to always be focused on the quality of our nights and to making each teen feel totally welcomed. God bless, brother. You guys are an invaluable part of what we’re doing.
Scott, That’s awesome! While quantity is important (after all we want to reach as many as possible) it should not be our number 1 goal. I truly believe that with great quality, quantity will come. Keep up the great work, and thank you for all you do for teens and the Church!
[...] Teen staff member Eric Porteous has an interesting reflection about what matters in ministry: not numbers, but souls. It’s not how many teens come to your event, or how many people came [...]
I agree with your entire article. No one likes the ‘How many’ questions. But lets be honest, no pastor is going to pay a salary if your only ministering to 8 students. I totally agree with your point, but the hard part for me at least, is to find a way to answer the ‘how many’ question with an answer I feel comfortable with. Even though we have ‘great’ numbers, I still don’t like answering the question of ‘how many’. It’s just a weird balancing act we have to play.
Kyle, I totally agree with you. It’s a tough thing to balance. And while numbers are not the most important thing, they can tell us something about our ministry. After all, if kids aren’t showing up, maybe there’s a reason for it. But too often they are the #1 way we measure success, and as we both know, that’s just backwards. Let’s start with quality and hopefully, quantity will grow from there.
Thanks for all you do, man. You’re a great Youth Minister.
Four of a kind beats a full house.
I was recently asked this question from another YM and it bugs me, too. I told him 3. Ephraim is 4, Caedmon is 2 1/2, and Emmaea is 8 weeks.
Haha! That’s a great response, John.