“‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people’” (Matt. 4:19).
Mobilizing our teenagers to “fish for people” (i.e., evangelize) is the missing piece in most youth ministries’ discipleship strategy.
For Jesus—and his mostly teenage disciples—evangelism wasn’t an add-on; it was the mission itself. It was not a spoke on the discipleship wheel; it was the wheel.
Jesus didn’t separate following him from sharing him, and neither should we.
The Big Question: What Are We Really Producing?
By the time a teenager graduates from your youth ministry, can they articulate the gospel in a clear and compelling way, and are they actively sharing it with their peers?
If not, something essential is missing in your youth ministry strategy—and it’s a big something.
Because if our teens can quote Scripture but can’t share the Savior, we’ve missed the very heart of what Jesus called us to do.
Jesus Modeled, Mobilized and Multiplied.
In Matthew 4:19, Jesus stated clearly that the inevitable result of following him would be active and effective evangelism.
- In Luke 8:1, Jesus modeled evangelism for his disciples.
- In Luke 9:1, he mobilized the Twelve to reach an entire region.
- And by Luke 10:1, that “youth group” of evangelizers had multiplied from 12 to 72.
You can start putting the missing piece into place when you model evangelism personally. It grows as you inspire and equip your teens to do the same. It culminates when on-fire-for-Jesus teenage gospelizers multiply within your group.
3 Simple Steps to Start the Shift
1. Pray.
Ask God to show you how to put the missing piece back into place. (He will!)
2. Learn.
Get practical tools and ideas by visiting DontMissIt.org to download the free research report.
3. Gather.
Join us at the ENERGIZE Youth Ministry Conference, April 23–25, 2026, in Denver, Colorado. Discover how to implement the missing piece, alongside hundreds of youth leaders.
Let’s put the missing piece back where it belongs.
Youth leaders, let’s put evangelism right where it should be: at the center of our youth ministries. Through the power of God’s Holy Spirit, we can do just that.
This article originally appeared on GregStier.org and is reposted here by permission.