Being a teenage girl today is tough. Every day, girls encounter a multitude of conflicting messages about their identity, sexuality and worth that they struggle to process. In the midst of this chaos, youth ministries can provide a safe haven for girls to discover who they are and experience genuine love and community. In order to equip youth workers to accomplish this, we talked with four experts in ministry to girls.

Ginny Olson is co-director of North Park University’s Center for Youth Ministry Studies. She is a youth ministry professor and author of Teenage Girls: Exploring Issues Adolescent Girls Face and Strategies to Help Them (Youth Specialties/Zondervan).

Christina DiMari’s passion is to help young women find wholeness in their lives so they can impact others positively. To help do this, she created You’re Designed to Shine—a six-week curriculum for girls (Group Publishing).

Crystal Kirgiss has worked with teenagers for more than 20 years. She is a professor at Purdue University, a frequent speaker at conferences, the author of What’s Up with Boys? and the co-author of Guys and Girls (Youth Specialties/Zondervan).

Megan Hutchinson is a veteran youth pastor and co-author of Life Hurts, God Heals (Simply Youth Ministry/Group Publishing). Well-versed in the issues confronting teenage girls, Megan’s desire is to help girls find healing.

YouthWorker Journal: How is ministering to girls different than ministering to guys, and what should youth workers do about it?

Christina DiMari: Guys like to learn while they are doing something. The more you incorporate activities with their lessons, the more they will absorb what you are trying to teach them. Girls like to learn while being relational with each other. The more you break into small groups to talk, the more they will absorb what you are passing on.

Crystal Kirgiss: Guys tend to mature more slowly. Girls tend to relate through conversation, and guys tend to relate through activity. Guys are more likely to take risks and be competitive. Girls tend to be more intuitive and socially aware.

Megan Hutchinson: Guys and girls are alike in what they’re looking for—belonging, love, figuring out who they are and who they are created to be. While both long to be accepted and loved, girls primarily do this through touch, communication and time. For guys, it can be through activity. Guys have a physical need for play that girls are less likely to have.

YWJ: What does an effective girls ministry look like?

Ginny Olson: An effective girls ministry is holistic. It’s not just dealing with a girl’s relationship with Jesus. It’s also dealing with body images and how to develop your brain. I’m seeing more retreats that deal with the spiritual component but also teach self-defense and how to change a flat tire. Effective girls’ ministries help girls deal with their emotions by giving them opportunities to process them in the presence of a trusted adult and help them put labels on them—“This is what I’m feeling, and this is why I’m feeling it.”