A new course will be offered at Oklahoma Christian University in the spring semester of 2026 called Preparation for Youth Ministry Class (GMIN 4833-01) by Rick Odell, associate director of church relations. In an email to students about the course, Odell explained the purpose of the class.
“If you are wanting to go into youth (and even children’s) ministry, I wanted to make you aware of this class. The intent of this class is to teach you a LOT of super practical skills to help you be successful from the moment you begin your ministry,” Odell said.
This course will be different from other ministry classes in that it will focus on day-to-day application of ministry work on a practical level.
“It’s going to be some very practical nuts and bolts kind of what you need to be ready to do when you become a youth minister. There’s not going to be a ton of philosophy or theology, per se, in that, because they get that in all the other classes in the Bible department that they take. This is just strictly going to be an educational training, how to do the vocation of doing youth ministry,” Odell said. “Everything from calendars, to how to teach a Bible class, to how to plan a mission trip to just very basic things, but it’s stuff that they don’t really teach in any other class right now, and so this would be a great opportunity for students to do that.”
The Preparation for Youth Ministry Class is available to all students to take advantage of, to learn practical skills and build community with others who may be in the field in the future.
“It’s open to freshmen through seniors. It’s listed as a senior level class but it’s not limited.” Odell said, “I think it’d be a good dynamic for all of [the students] to kind of, you know, some camaraderie and some encouragement for them as they graduate and go out and if they choose to be youth ministry or whatever. Yeah, have those people in their corner too.”
Delaney Ward, a senior double majoring in communication and vocational ministry with a minor in family science, will be taking the Preparation for Youth Ministry Class in next spring semester. Ward was helpful in the development of the course, making suggestions of what she wanted to see based on her history with youth ministry.
“[Odell] contacted me and let me know that he was interested in teaching this course. And I sat down with him and looked through the syllabus and told him what I had learned in previous youth ministry courses here, and what maybe had been left out from those courses to not repeat the same information.” Ward said, “One of the things that I talked about with Rick O’Dell was creating a year long youth calendar, and so that would give us the skills and knowledge to think through what curriculum looks like for a year, and what the youth program looks like for a year. And so some of those hands-on activities, I think, really help us think through some of the practical things that will fit into the job description of a youth minister doing full time ministry that you might see might not get in a summer internship.”
Ward has aspirations to serve as a full-time youth minister when she graduates from Oklahoma Christian. Ward encourages others interested in ministry to consider taking the Preparation for Youth Ministry Class next semester.
“I would love to serve in a full-time youth ministry somewhere. I really value girls having a mentor and a designated person in their lives, just to walk through life with them and teach them about Jesus.” Ward said, “I think anyone considering full time youth ministry or even children’s ministry would benefit, just because I think some of the knowledge you’re going to get you might not get out of a summer internship.” Ward said, “I’m really excited that this class will differ from some of the other courses I’ve taken on the topic of youth ministry here and just the hands-on experience that we’re going to have.”
The Preparation for Youth Ministry Class (GMIN 4833-01) is open for registration and available to all students who would like to serve in ministry in the future and/or would like to learn practical application skills associated with full-time ministry.
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