How to hire a youth minister

How to hire a youth minister, step by step

Here's a step-by-step youth minister hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a youth minister job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new youth minister
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the youth minister you need to hire. Certain youth minister roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A youth minister's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, youth ministers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of youth ministers.

   Type of Youth Minister	Description	Hourly rate
   Youth Minister	A Youth Minister encourages young people to learn more about a given faith and to become more involved in spiritual life. They may be responsible for planning activities and leading Bible studies.	$14-25
   Hospice Chaplain	A Hospice Chaplain provides care and comfort to patients nearing the end of life because of terminal illnesses. They collaborate with the community and the care team to ensure that care is in accord with the patient's faith.	$16-36
   Chaplain	The word chaplain is originally referred to as representatives of the Christian faith. In tradition, a chaplain is a cleric or formal leader with an established religion or any non-ordained members of religious institutes... Show more	$12-39

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Community Outreach
   • Bible Studies
   • Youth Events
   • Public Speaking
   • Event Planning
   • Worship Services
   • Pastoral Care
   • Religious Education
   • GOD
   • VBS
   • Baptist
   • Disciple
   • Outreach Events
   • Fund Raising

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead church to incorporate a vision for integrating evangelistic and discipleship efforts.
   • Prepare presentations for youth group members by using PowerPoint.
   • Maintain Facebook page and website dedicate to the youth group through updating information weekly on upcoming news and event information.
   • Provide mentoring to student leaders through direct discipleship.
   • Collaborate with pastoral team to provide professional leadership to a variety of congregation's ministry areas.
   • Perform other various functions as needed including communication with church leadership to ensure efficient operations for church outreach activities.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your youth minister job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A youth minister salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, youth ministers' average salary in alaska is 50% less than in delaware.
   • Seniority. Entry-level youth ministers earn 43% less than senior-level youth ministers.
   • Certifications. A youth minister with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a youth minister's salary.

   Average youth minister salary

   $41,513yearly

   $19.96 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level youth minister salary

   $31,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

4. Writing a youth minister job description

   A job description for a youth minister role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a youth minister job description:

   Youth minister job description example

   FLSA Status: Exempt - Salary
   
   Hours: Full-time - Includes Sundays and nights.
   
   Supervisor: Family and Youth Minister
   
   Location: St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church 202 W. Kronkosky, Boerne, TX 78006
   
   Position Purpose:
   
   The Youth Minister Coordinator (YMC) is one of two YMCs that report to the Family and Youth Minister. The YMCs are the missionary arm of the Parish responsible for relationship evangelization to Middle School, High School, and Young Adults (21 - 35). The goals are outlined in the USCCB's document Renewing a Vision: A framework for Catholic Youth Ministry.
   
   Goal #1: To empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today.
   
   Goal #2: To draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission and work of the Catholic faith community.
   
   Goal #3: To foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person.
   
   The YMC are the individuals who attend the many events in the Parish for the youth, while their supervisor, the Family and the Youth Minister is responsible for most of the behind-the-scenes work, including most of the office duties and paperwork.
   
   Essential Functions of the Youth Ministry Coordinators are:
   
   * Develop relationships with Youth, Teens, Young Adults and the Parents of the Parish.
   * Attend and lead Edge, LifeTeen and Confirmation nights on Wednesday and Sunday nights.
   * Develop, create and attend events where the youth are, including developing and creating afterschool activities on and off campus.
   * Assist the Family and Youth Minister with the following:
   * Recruit volunteers to help oversee Edge, Lifeteen, and Confirmation.
   * Recruit and train Chaperone teens to attend Archdiocesan events throughout the year.
   * Create, organize and implement the nightly Edge, Confirmation and Life Teen nights
   
   * Be available to minister to youth and parents by listening, advising and referral.
   * Help to encourage and integrate youth into the life of the Parish. This includes recruiting volunteers for Vacation Bible Study, Catholic Camp, EDGE, Confirmation, and other parish-related events.
   * Gather teen volunteers to help with Fall Festival Activities.
   * Attend staff meetings to maintain effective communication and relationships with all staff members, especially the parish receptionist.
   * Meet with other Faith Formation Staff regularly to help foster cohesiveness among all Faith Formation levels.
   * Help coordinate Faith Formation Family Faith Nights during Advent and Lent.
   * Be relational with all parishioners.
   * Attend training, workshops, and conferences on local, diocesan, and national levels.
   * Create, implement, and direct family events (movie night, family fun fest, etc.)
   * Equip and support parents in fulfilling their role as primary educators of their children.
   * Create and implement a hospitality plan for welcoming and retaining families
   * Work with young adult ministry leaders to create and develop summer activities.
   * Join the Marriage and Family ministry steering committee to coordinate and plan activities amongst many volunteer groups.
   * Help plan, organize, lead and attend Vacation Bible School each year.
   * Lead and recruit volunteers to create fundraisers, including the current fundraiser of selling H.E.B. cards after each Mass.
   
   Requirements
   
   QUALIFICATIONS
   
   * An active member of a Roman Catholic parish faith community.
   * Experience in diocesan or parish/school ministry to youth.
   * Familiarity with National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM), Life Teen, and Steubenville Conferences.
   
   PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
   
   * Demonstrated ability to set priorities and organize work effectively and efficiently.
   * Ability to compose correspondence, minutes and/or reports.
   * Ability to work independently
   * Ability to maintain confidentiality
   
   PHYSICAL DEMANDS/ WORK ENVIRONMENT
   
   While performing the duties of this position, employees may frequently lift 10- 25 pounds.
   
   Some overnight travel (retreats) is required.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right youth minister for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with youth ministers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit youth ministers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your youth minister job on Zippia to find and recruit youth minister candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with youth minister candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new youth minister

   Once you have selected a candidate for the youth minister position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new youth minister. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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