About

The Latino community is one of the fastest-growing populations in the US. Pew Research reports that 25% of Gen Z in the US are Latino/a, and a similar number is expected of Gen Alpha. While there is a growing body of research on US Latino youth and faith, very little focuses on youth ministry leaders in these churches and their specific needs. Fuller Youth Institute has stepped into the gap with their report exploring the specific needs of Latino/a youth pastors in the US. 

What We Learned

Latino/a Pastors Face Unique Challenges:

• Language gap: Latino youth ministries in the US include teens whose primary language is Spanish and others who prefer English and may not speak Spanish. Such divergent needs and preferences make cohesive youth ministry challenging. 

• Leadership gap: Most youth ministries are volunteer-led. In fact, the report states that only 2.5% of US Latino churches have paid youth ministers. (p 4)

• Resource gap: Latino churches in the US operate in a different cultural context than the white churches for which many ministry resources are designed. Most resources assume a full-time paid leader pastoring a youth ministry separate from the main congregation. A suburban American context also presumes an individualistic worldview versus the more communal one of many Latino congregations.

Other Key Findings:

• Intergenerational challenges: Language and cultural differences between generations can cause separation/friction and limit young people’s opportunities for authentic dialogue and leadership roles. While much of the  US American church is emphasizing multigenerational worship, this can be difficult and not preferred in the US Latino Church.

• Affirmation and emotional support: Many parents work multiple jobs and are not able to provide the supervision and guidance teens need. Close relationships with fathers and other male role models are especially lacking. 

• Mental health support: Latino/a youth in the US are facing the same mental health concerns as others in their generation, but often with the added stressors of recent migration and/or biracial tensions. Many lack access to therapy and resources.

• Economic struggles: Poverty is a real issue in many of these communities. Latino/a young people in the US can be hindered in their ability to meet personal goals, deal with family crises, and take part in youth group activities.

The Need for Relevant Resources

One significant need identified in this study was for relevant youth ministry resources. Most resources used in US Latino youth ministries have been translated from English to Spanish with little or no effort to contextualize the content for the community. This creates extra work for youth workers to adapt the materials or create their own curriculum. 

The study concludes that “[New] resources should be crafted by experienced Latino/a youth ministry professionals, made available in Spanish and English with Hispanic ‘sabor’ (Latino/a cultural context and flare), and be simple, accessible, and affordable.” (p 7)

About

Based in Singapore, interdenominational organization FOPx supports youth outreach through conferences, training, and prayer. Desiring to better resource and champion local churches, the group commissioned research about the challenges facing current youth leaders. The research aimed to gain holistic insights about how to support those workers and develop strategies to better equip churches to disciple the next generation. 

What We Learned

The report presents eight central insights that highlight key challenges and needs for youth ministry moving forward. 

1. Relevance of God in a Complex World

2. Support System for Youth Leaders

3. Intentional & Effective Discipleship

4. Navigating a Seismic Generational Shift

5. A Safe Space for Youth Pastors/Leaders to Experiment

6. Building Spiritual Foundations for Youth

7. Partnership Parents as Trusted Allies

8. Spiritual Parenting as a Whole-of-Church Effort

The second half of the report lays out a suggested framework for implementing new youth ministry strategies:

Building on the research themes, the report provides a variety of suggestions for addressing gaps and needs in church contexts. These action items are presented via a framework of Initiate (implementation with minimal resources), Innovate (new programs requiring some planning), and Integrate (systemic planning that involves the wider church community). 

Check out the report here (fair warning: it’s 110 pages!) or you can skim our 3-page summary here.

We dug into some of the headlines surrounding social media usage among teens and found that it’s not all bad news. In fact, 61% of youth surveyed in Africa recently said social media has a positive impact on their mental well-being. 

Sometimes the best thing to do is go straight to the source. What do teens themselves think about their online lives and how it is affecting them?

“Social media is a necessity. You take it away from us? It’s like, Oh, wow, we have nothing left.” (Source: The Cut)

Talk about a headline! Author Anya Kamenetz asked 65 American teens how they feel about being online and shares 8 intriguing profiles to help us understand how young people today are navigating their diverse digital lives and learning about confidence and coping along the way. 

Looking at the problem from another angle–what if we worried less about how much time teens are spending on screens and more about how they are thinking, feeling, and reacting to their online experiences? In his article Beyond Screen Time psychologist Richard Lopez argues that we need to help young people move towards a more secure, rooted vision of themselves. 

Thanks for reading!

That's it for this edition of the Research Radar! If you have any questions about the research featured here contact us at research@onehope.net

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