I have had a youth minister since I joined the CoC, but we hired a full-time worship minister a couple of years ago. (He also is the office coordinator, but we call him the worship minister and he leads most Sundays.)

Well personally, I can't ever remember a time that there was not a full time youth minister. We went through several of them through my middle school and high school years, but they were always full time. Guess that proves how young I still am huh???

I remember when we didn't have full time worship ministers though. I always felt bad for them for having to carry on a regular job as well as taken on another responsiblity as well. But their passion was always in it.
Having Shane Coffman as a full time worship minister works very well and I don't think we could be more fortunate.

we did not have a youth minister when i was a teen. so i guess i'm old.

we don't have a worship minister, but we have a full-time volunteer worship leader. however, my wife gave up her raise to give him some money. she has donated her raise to him, but not many people are aware of this ... so i guess its a secret ... don't tell anyone. he was so touched and happy to get it. he was having some tough times financially. he was SOOO thankful!

My husband and I did not have a youth minister back in the late 60's early 70's,
The good part is, our parents were very involved.
As the youth group, we had to be involved in the planning of actitivities also. We could not wait for a youth minister to tell us what to do.
We were a very close and active group of kids thanks to the help of our great parents.

Ken Young was the first full time worship minister I knew. I do not think he was called the worship minister though, I think he was still referred to as the song leader. And he was fantastic. This was at Sunset a "few" years ago, 1980 something.
where has the time gone???

Our church hasn't has a full-time youth minister since 1999. In 2000/2001, we had a guy that was the youth/worship minister, and that didn't work so well. Since he left we have not had a FT or even a PT youth minister.

I know some fulltime worship ministers. JP was a FT worship minister from 2002-2005, since July of 2005, he's been doing all the worship ministry stuff in the evenings as he has a full-time job elsewhere.

I remember pre-youth minister days, but I was still in the youth group when we hired our first youth ministry summer intern. I suppose the experiment worked well enough because the church then hired a full-time person.

I know a very good full-time worship minister at my own church; you might have met him!

Kimberly Klingerman

In Oxnard, CA in the 60's, parents, young adult volunteers and the juniors and seniors in youth group led the youth ministry and brought younger leaders along. I remember growing up and growing in that system.

As young adults in Cabot, AR in the 70's and 80's we and two other couples were the "youth deacons." In 1990 (the summer I turned 40) l left public schools and became a full-time youth minister in Houston... the first church we'd ever been at with a youth minister on staff.

After a few years I transitioned into another role that included worship ministry. Here in Antioch, worship ministry is also one role of several.

I know and have been blessed by several full time worship ministers, but I've never been fortunate enough to be in one of their church families.