Many churches find youth discipleship challenging. Volunteers are stretched, parents are busy, and church leaders are constantly looking for ways to engage young people effectively. In response, many churches turn to parachurch youth ministries—Christian organisations that operate alongside churches to reach and disciple young people.
These ministries can be a blessing, but they can also reshape the way churches and parents think about their role in discipleship. Many young people today are discipled primarily by parachurch organisations rather than by their local church or their families. The question is: is this how God intended youth discipleship to work?
So it’s worth asking: who is actually discipling the young people in our churches? Is the church still the primary place where young people are being formed in faith, or have we unintentionally outsourced discipleship in a way that weakens both the church and the family?
The God-Given Role of the Church and Family
Scripture is clear that the discipleship of children is not meant to be outsourced. God has entrusted two primary institutions with the task of raising young people in the faith:
The local church is the God-ordained community where believers grow together in faith. Young people are not an add-on to church life; they are part of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16).
The family carries the primary responsibility for instructing children in the Lord. Parents are commanded to disciple their children, shaping their hearts and minds in biblical truth (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Ephesians 6:4).
When the church and family function as they should, young people are discipled within the very structures God designed for their growth. But when these responsibilities are assumed to belong to someone else, discipleship is weakened.
The Rise of Parachurch Dependency
Over the past few decades, parachurch ministries have stepped in to fill the gaps where churches have struggled. Many do excellent work in evangelism, leadership development, and resourcing youth ministry. But in some cases, they have unintentionally become the primary source of spiritual formation for young people rather than a support to the local church.
Why does this happen?
Some churches treat youth ministry as an afterthought rather than an essential part of church life. Instead of investing in their own discipleship structures, they send young people elsewhere to be discipled.
Some parents assume youth workers or parachurch ministries will take responsibility for their children’s faith. Rather than taking an active role in spiritual formation, they rely on external ministries to do the work.
Many parachurch ministries feel more engaging and exciting than local church youth work. Young people naturally gravitate toward environments that seem more dynamic, relational, and relevant to their lives.
None of this is ill-intentioned, but over time, it shifts the centre of discipleship away from the local church, leaving young people disconnected from the community where faith is meant to be nurtured.
The Consequences of Outsourcing Discipleship
Parachurch youth ministries are not inherently bad—many do incredible work—but when they become the primary source of discipleship, there are serious consequences for both young people and the church.
Young people can become disconnected from the local church. If their primary experience of Christian life happens outside their church, what happens when they turn 18? Many struggle to transition into adult church life because they have never truly been part of it. Discipleship should happen in the place where faith is lived out—in the local church.
The role of parents can be weakened. When discipleship is outsourced, parents can become passive rather than active in shaping their children’s faith. But God has given parents the responsibility to lead their children spiritually. Youth discipleship is strongest when churches equip parents to be the primary disciplers in their homes.
Parachurch ministries lack biblical oversight. Unlike local churches, they are not accountable to elders or pastors. While many are biblically faithful, there is no guarantee of the same level of theological depth and pastoral care as in the local church.
Discipleship can become shallow or experience-based. Many parachurch ministries focus on engagement and excitement, which can create an emotional but fragile faith. The local church is meant to provide young people with a deep foundation in biblical truth so that their faith is not built on emotional highs but on lifelong discipleship.
Reclaiming Youth Discipleship in the Local Church
Churches do not need to reject parachurch ministries, but they do need to reclaim their role as the primary place of discipleship.
This means making the local church the centre of youth discipleship. Young people should not be separate from the life of the church but actively engaged in corporate worship, intergenerational relationships, and the full teaching of Scripture.
Churches must equip parents to disciple their children. Parents should not assume that youth leaders or parachurch ministries will handle their child’s faith formation. Churches must encourage and resource parents to take an active role in discipling their children at home.
Churches need to invest in theologically trained youth leaders. Many churches outsource youth ministry because they lack trained leaders. Instead of relying on external ministries, churches should equip their own leaders who are rooted in the church’s mission and theology.
Parachurch ministries should be seen as a supplement, not a substitute. They have an important role, but they should serve the church rather than replace it. Churches must be discerning about how they engage with these ministries, ensuring they strengthen, rather than weaken, church-based discipleship.
Who Is Really Discipling Our Young People?
At the heart of this issue is a fundamental question: who is shaping the faith of young people in our churches? If the answer is a parachurch ministry rather than their local church or family, it is time to rethink our approach.
The healthiest youth discipleship happens when young people are deeply embedded in the life of the local church, nurtured by faithful parents, and formed within the community God designed for their spiritual growth.
Churches must reclaim youth discipleship as their God-given responsibility, ensuring that young people grow up with a deep love for the local church—not just for parachurch ministries. Because in the end, it is the church—not external ministries—that Jesus promised to build (Matthew 16:18)
