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Youth pastor skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Jill DeTemple Ph.D.,

Leah Thomas Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical youth pastor skills. We ranked the top skills for youth pastors based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 20.2% of youth pastor resumes contained outreach events as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a youth pastor needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 youth pastor skills for your resume and career

1. Outreach Events

Here's how youth pastors use outreach events:

Worked with other church leadership in developing congregational activities and events, congregational education events, local outreach events.
Developed and planned community outreach events.

2. Disciple

Here's how youth pastors use disciple:

Worked with parents & student leaders to help disciple students.
Instruct and disciple youth according concerning the teachings of Scripture.

3. Youth Program

Here's how youth pastors use youth program:

Schedule, prepare curriculum/activities and participate in midweek youth programs.
Provide support and assistance as required but permit leaders to handle the day to day needs of the youth programs.

4. Bible Study

Bible study is the careful examination of the Bible by people as a way of spiritual or personal religious practice. Bible study is a holy act to some denominations.

Here's how youth pastors use bible study:

Facilitated a 12-step recovery Bible study/support group to homeless in our community.
Developed monthly curriculum for Bible study and spiritual formation.

5. Oversight

Having oversight of someone means to monitor a process or a situation. If someone has oversight of something, they are responsible for the completion of the project. Oversight is usually given to experts as they monitor their juniors or newbies as they go through a project.

Here's how youth pastors use oversight:

Vacation Bible School Director- recruited and implemented curriculum, managed volunteers, budget oversight, purchased and distributed supplies.
Provided leadership, including planning and oversight of the weekly gatherings of junior high and high school students.

6. Public Speaking

Public Speaking or oration, as it is sometimes known, is the act of any one person speaking live in front of an audience. Although in the past the audience was only a physical one, nowadays oration might be done on an online video call, at a digital conference, at an online class, or elsewhere. The art of public speaking is very old, drawing its first established roots from Ancient Greece and likely from before, too. It is an important skill and asset in many industries.

Here's how youth pastors use public speaking:

Experienced in public speaking in front of dozens of Youth Groups, College Groups, and Churches.
Lead musician, perform music for congregation, lead rehearsals, interact with kids, public speaking

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7. Youth Events

Here's how youth pastors use youth events:

Organize and teach youth events from week to week and collaborate with youth pastor in the area on community wide events.
Involved preaching, teaching, small groups, Pathfinders, health fairs, organizing youth events and community service outreach.

8. Event Planning

Here's how youth pastors use event planning:

Major event planning, written communication, & event promotion.
Conduct weekly practices and meetings - Event planning

9. Worship Services

Worship is the coming together of Christians; it includes different services provided by church practicing Christians. It involves believers coming together to worship God and learn more from the bible. Contemporary worship services include music services like playing 'holy music' such as Christian rock and hip-hop and prayers to God, led by a pastor. Although worship services are Jewish in origin, Christians practice them more often (usually on Sundays). They acknowledge services in the church as a good practice and believe God has a reward for them in this world and in heaven.

Here's how youth pastors use worship services:

Coordinated youth department to begin a youth contemporary worship service.
Developed specialized worship services for adolescence and youth.

10. GOD

Here's how youth pastors use god:

Teach teenagers and young adults about the Word of God in a manner that appealed most to them.
Coordinate events and teaches young adults as well as adults far as elderly about the word of God.

11. Community Outreach

Here's how youth pastors use community outreach:

Organized and implemented various fundraisers and community outreach programs.
Initiated and maintained a new community outreach to expecting mothers

12. Pastoral Care

Here's how youth pastors use pastoral care:

Developed and implemented outreach and Pastoral Care procedures and programs.
Fulfilled pastoral responsibilities including teaching and pastoral care.

13. Community Services

Community ѕеrvісе is аn unраіd activity in which аn individual оr grоuр еngаgеѕ tо bеnеfіt thе lосаl, nаtіоnаl оr glоbаl соmmunіtу. It іѕ also uѕеd as аn аltеrnаtіvе to imprisonment аnd іѕ intended tо connect offenders to the victim or society ѕо thаt they can undеrѕtаnd how their асtіоnѕ аffесt оthеrѕ.

Here's how youth pastors use community services:

Publicized community services to maintain positive public relations with community members.
Oversee implementation of new Community services.

14. SR

Here's how youth pastors use sr:

Worked with the Sr. Pastor in this new church planting to build a youth ministry from the ground up.
Job responsibilities: Counseling, teaching Jr. & Sr. High school ages; preaching; interim pastor.

15. PowerPoint

Here's how youth pastors use powerpoint:

Produced various forms of media, including weekly church radio broadcast, youthministry website, concept videos and PowerPoint presentations.
Used multimedia to deliver engaging messages including PowerPoint, Prezi, and YouTube.

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What skills help Youth Pastors find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on youth pastor resumes?

Dr. Jill DeTemple Ph.D.

Department Chair, Professor, Southern Methodist University

Our graduates tell us employers often note the rarity of religious studies degrees, and then go on to remark with excitement about things like intercultural competence and communication skills that the degree supports. For more on that see: Smu

What soft skills should all youth pastors possess?

Leah Thomas Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care and Contextual Education, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary

In my students, I encourage the development of soft skills such as deep listening, empathy, authenticity, flexibility, integrity, trustworthiness, and a collaborative leadership style. These skills exist alongside commitments to ongoing spiritual formation, self and theological reflection and reflexivity, ongoing education and supervision, and care of the self's physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual parts.

What hard/technical skills are most important for youth pastors?

Leah Thomas Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care and Contextual Education, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary

In terms of the hard/technical skills that aid pastors/ministers in carrying out their responsibilities, these would include skills of crisis intervention, conflict resolution & peacebuilding, knowledge and praxis related to racial justice and reconciliation, and knowledge of (and techniques for) addressing some of the following situations: trauma and grief, conflicts in the family (including pre-marital, marital and family interventions), addictions and situations of sexual abuse. In all of this, attention to the intercultural dimension of pastoral caregiving is also extremely important. Clinical Pastoral Education training can also provide some of these "hard" and "soft" skills.

What youth pastor skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Scott Shauf Ph.D.

Professor of Religious Studies; Department Chair, Gardner-Webb University

Be open to God’s calling, especially to places you don’t feel comfortable going. There are many ways to serve in ministry, and God may call you to places and tasks you haven’t even thought of. Remember what you have learned, and always think critically and faithfully. Consider pursuing a Master of Divinity degree, for the church needs educated ministers. But whether you do or not, never stop learning.

Do you want to know more?

List of youth pastor skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a youth pastor resume and required skills for a youth pastor to have include:

Outreach Events
Disciple
Youth Program
Bible Study
Oversight
Public Speaking
Youth Events
Event Planning
Worship Services
GOD
Community Outreach
Pastoral Care

Community Services
SR
PowerPoint
JR
VBS
Baptist
Leadership
Building Relationships
Conflict Resolution
Leadership Training
Leadership Development
Community Events

Spiritual Growth
Student Ministry
Local Church
Jesus Christ
Summer Camps
Gospel
Spiritual Guidance
Christian Education
Youth Camps
Spiritual Development
Church Events
Spiritual Direction

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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