20 Interview Questions for Youth Workers

20 Interview Questions for Youth Workers

Are you a youth worker? Chances are high that sooner or later you will find yourself in search of a new church in which to serve. Are you a Senior Pastor, Christian Education Director, or an Associate Pastor?  Chances are equally high that sooner or later you will find yourself in search of somebody to lead your youth ministry.

To help you as you search to find one another, I thought I’d jot down ten questions for each of you to ask in an interview setting. Hope they help!

Questions For a Church to Ask a Youth Worker:

• What’s your ideal work environment?
• What are your biggest strengths and greatest weaknesses?
• Tell me about a time you faced conflict with a supervisor. How did it get resolved?
• How would you define a successful youth ministry?
• What is the last book you read?
• Complete this sentence: Ultimately, the local church should be focused on ___________.
• What frustrates you about ministry?
• Talk to me about adolescent development.
• What is the role of the family in faith development?
• Tell me your biblical understanding of __________ (insert various theological distinctives that are important to your church).

Church leaders, avoid the temptation to look for certain stereotypes that you have pre-determined make for an effective or ineffective youth worker! Ask open-ended questions and listen closely to the heart behind the answers.  Youth workers are often young and nervous in an interview setting so don’t hesitate to ask for clarity when answers are vague or rephrase the question if there is hesitancy in the response.

Questions For a Youth Worker to Ask a Church:

• Describe the work environment here.
• Tell me about this church’s culture, DNA, Unwritten rules.
• How will my effectiveness be measured?
• Describe to me what the ideal youth ministry in this church would look like?
• How much time do I have to get it to that point?
• Do you think most parents would agree with what you just described?
• How does the senior leadership deal with conflict? Is disagreement allowed?
• Complete this sentence: Ultimately, this church is focused on ___________.
• What is the church’s biblical understanding of ______________ (insert various theological distinctives that are important to you).

Youth workers, it’s really important to remember that you are interviewing a potential church in the same way they are interviewing you! Ask good questions, seek out answers and clarity about issues that are important to you. Remember, you are allowed to say NO to a job offer!

Happy hunting,

Kurt