Whenever you organise a youth ministry event or camp it's important to consider the ratio of adults to young people. 

Needs will vary depending on the nature of the activity but one adult for every five young people can be useful as a rough guide.

Turning that ratio on its head can be another useful guide for how connected the young people in your church are: five adults for every young person.

Jack Gabig is a lecturer in youth ministry in Pittsburgh, USA who continues to have an active involvement in youth ministry in his local church. Visiting Youthworks College recently for the Theology of Youth Ministry conference, Jack challenged us to think about whether the young people in our youth ministries had any substantial relationships with other adults in the church.

Research in the US has shown that when young people have genuine relationships with adults other than their parents and youth leaders they are more likely to stay involved in their church communities. NCLS research here in Sydney indicates that the greater a sense of 'belonging' that children and young people feel in their church, the more often they participate in church activities and the more likely they are to remain in the church as they grow up.  Having a relationship with adults who know your name and are available to listen or provide support and advice when needed would go a long way to strengthening a sense of belonging.

We've observed already that the youth ministry in many churches can tend to be quite isolated from the rest of the congregation. Most would agree that this is not a healthy arrangement - either for the young people, or for the church as a whole. 

So, can the young people involved in the youth ministry at your church name five adults in the church other than their youth leaders with whom they have some sort of relationship? 

What would need to change to make this happen?  And what could be the result if it were true?