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Learn to reach adolescents for Christ with a Youth Ministry major or minor.

Youth Ministry

Major/Minor

Meet Youth Where They Are

Taylor’s Youth Ministry major trains students to reach young people for Christ. Throughout your four years at Taylor, you will dig into adolescent ministry opportunities—working with teens, equipping them to claim their Christian faith as their own, and encouraging them to grow as disciples and disciple-makers.

The Youth Ministry major combines Scripture, theology, and ministry engagement with a rigorous education. Professors, who are both experienced practitioners and leading thinkers in their field, will teach you to engage with the specific, difficult issues facing youth today, reach teens with solid biblical truth, and disciple them within their cultural contexts.

Get on track for these careers

  • Youth Minister
  • Urban Ministry Administrator
  • Director of a Faith-based Organization
  • Missional Community Leader
  • Chaplain
  • Director of a Nonprofit
  • School Athletic Coach
  • Pastor
  • Counselor
  • Camp director
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Minor in Youth Ministry

If you’re passionate about directing and encouraging teens to follow Christ, consider a Youth Ministry minor. This minor pairs well with Education, Christian Ministries, Biblical Literature, or Communication majors.

Aaron Crull
Class of 2016
"It is hard to express just how grateful I am for my 4 years at Taylor University. Upon graduating, I joined staff as a Student Ministry Pastor where I oversee 5th–12th grade students. I feel strongly that my time at Taylor helped equip me with the knowledge needed to have a healthy start in full-time ministry. They taught me that ministry is more than just knowledge and skill. This truth has profoundly impacted how I lead and serve."

Youth Ministry Curriculum & Degree Options

Students interested in course descriptions and academic policies can check out our Undergraduate Catalog.

Liberal Arts Foundational Core

A Taylor liberal arts education will prepare you to live and work in a fast-changing world. It also goes a step further: laying a strong spiritual foundation that cultivates wisdom. You’ll become a well-versed individual, equipped with critical thinking skills, a lifelong love of learning, and an appreciation for God’s creation.

View Foundational Core Curriculum.

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Learn by Doing Ministry

Our students are exposed to real ministry opportunities from the start of freshman year. With a Youth Ministry degree, you will take interactive classes and biblical theology courses that will show you how the biblical stories give context to present-day ministry.

Students receive an in-depth understanding of youth ministry, focusing on spiritual formation, adolescent psychology, youth culture, and cross-cultural service and experiential learning. You will also develop strategies for teaching, one-on-one discipleship, and community engagement. Youth Ministry majors automatically earn a Biblical Literature minor and more than half of our students choose a second major in Biblical Literature.

Every Youth Ministry student will complete four semesters of a department-approved ministry and a summer in full-time ministry. You will also participate in a capstone trip that exposes you to dozens of ministries and over one hundred key Christian leaders, all while shaping your personal ministry philosophy.

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May 25, 2022

A fresh energy towards scripture engagement has been making inroads in the way the Bible is viewed, known, and taught at Taylor. 

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Senior Stories: Christian Ministries

Jan 17, 2020

Taylor wouldn’t be Taylor without amazing students. Developing servant-leaders marked with a passion to minister Christ’s redemptive love is why we are here. Students seeking to serve through many different fields and careers are participating in this Senior Stories series to share about how God has used Taylor in their lives.

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