Many churches still rely on tools like WhatsApp or email when communicating with youth. However, these platforms can fall short when it comes to safeguarding, oversight, and long-term engagement. That’s where Joyned comes in: a communication platform purpose-built to support youth communication.
This guide walks you through how to introduce Joyned into your church’s youth ministry, starting with leaders, engaging parents, and helping young people feel excited to join. With the right approach, your youth group can become the launchpad for safer, stronger communication across your whole church community.
What Is the Purpose of Youth Ministry and What Is Its Impact?
Many young people make key decisions about faith during their teenage years. These are formative years where habits and relationships take root. Youth ministry offers a space to nurture these habits, from daily devotionals to regular church involvement, laying a foundation for long-term spiritual growth.
Youth groups are also a key part of church community life, bringing energy, connection, and a sense of belonging. When done well, youth communication and ministry strengthens the relationship between the church and the home, supporting parents while giving young people a space to explore faith safely among their peers. But that connection relies on communication that is safe, clear, and consistent.
How Joyned Answers the Church’s Need for Safe, Compliant Youth Communication
Youth groups require clear communication, strict safeguarding, and close coordination with parents. Commonly used youth group communication apps like WhatsApp don’t always support these needs well. Joyned offers a purpose-built solution that is safe and compliant, supporting effective communication in youth work.
With Joyned, youth leaders can safely connect with young people, keep parents in the loop, and make sure all communication is clear, organised, and in-line with church safeguarding policies.
By introducing Joyned within your youth group, you:
- Fill the communication gap left by WhatsApp and email
- Prevent the sharing of personal information
- Strengthen church safeguarding practices
- Engage parents from day one
- Create a replicable communication model for wider church use
Is your communication with youth safe and compliant? Download our Safeguarding Toolkit to find out and make proactive changes.
How to Onboard Joyned in 7 Steps
Getting started with a new tool can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. This step-by-step guide walks you through a simple, thoughtful approach to introducing Joyned and transforming your youth communication.
Step 1: Involve Your Youth Leaders Early
The first step in onboarding youth groups is to engage youth leaders early. Youth leaders are often the bridge between the church’s administration and the youth themselves. So, it’s critical to meet with them to understand current communication challenges and explain how Joyned’s features can offer real value by:
- Keeping personal and ministry messages separate
- Clear group roles and permissions
- Centralise updates without message sprawl
Walk them through Joyned’s features and gather their input. This early involvement helps ensure the rollout fits the group’s rhythm and culture.
Step 2. Involve the Church Safeguarding Officer
Youth groups need careful oversight to ensure youth communication remains appropriate, especially when dealing with vulnerable individuals. As such, safeguarding is a top priority in youth ministry. Joyned makes it easier to uphold safeguarding standards, but your safeguarding leads need to understand how it works.
Make sure they understand how Joyned works and why it’s a good fit for supporting effective communication in youth work, providing features that:
- Allow for admin-level oversight of all groups
- Ensure all members are verified and invited
- Prevent private, unmonitored conversations
This transparency builds confidence that Joyned aligns with church policy, and reassures youth leadership that the platform strengthens rather than complicates compliance.
Step 3: Run a Trial with a Small Group
You don’t need to launch Joyned with the entire youth ministry on day one. A trial is a great starting place, letting you launch with a core team of youth leaders and a few groups of young people. This allows you to test how Joyned works across your church communication and culture. Here’s what that might look like:
- Start with a few leaders and small groups of youth
- Set up a limited number of channels (e.g. weekly updates, prayer requests, Bible reading group)
- Observe how Joyned simplifies communicating with youth
This controlled rollout helps you refine group structure, address questions, and build momentum before expanding further.
Step 4: Bring Parents into the Loop
Parents are crucial to the onboarding process. When parents feel confident in the youth communication platform, they’re more likely to support its use and encourage their children to engage.
Before introducing Joyned to the youth, it’s essential to communicate clearly with parents so that they understand why this change is being made and how it benefits their children.
Hold a short information session, either in-person or via email, to explain:
- Why the church is moving away from WhatsApp
- How Joyned protects personal data and ensures oversight
- How parents can stay informed through dedicated parent groups
Churches are very relational communities, so the more time you can give to communicating effectively, the better. For example, Tom Amos, youth leader at Community Church Bishops Stortford took the time to onboard Joyned in-person, taking a very relational and transparent approach with both the youth and their parents. This helped his youth group engage with the app very early on, achieving an 80% adoption rate from the very beginning.
Step 5: Present Joyned as Youth-Friendly
Many young people initially feel resistant to leaving familiar platforms like WhatsApp or Snapchat and won’t typically respond to something that feels rigid or overly formal. But when Joyned is presented as their youth communication space, engagement grows.
To increase engagement and make onboarding smoother:
- Use QR codes in youth rooms so that youth can easily join via their phones
- Create groups around their interests (Bible challenges, memes, event planning)
- Let youth leaders use polls and quick updates to keep things interactive
When youth feel ownership over the space, they’re more likely to use it and make it part of their weekly rhythm.
Step 6: Let the Trial Run for a While
A two-week trial is rarely enough. Aim for at least a month (ideally more) so the platform becomes part of your group’s normal communication flow. That way, you can see how well it integrates into your existing processes.
Encourage regular Joyned use for:
- Weekly event updates and engagement
- Prayer or support requests
- Gathering feedback from parents and youth
Humans are creatures of habit so it can take a while for us to adjust to change. While onboarding Joyned couldn’t be simpler, integrating the app into your existing processes until it becomes the go-to place for youth communication can take a little longer. So, letting the trial run for at least a month can be helpful.
7. Request Feedback and Refine Your Approach
Once Joyned has been in regular use for a few weeks, it’s time to check in with your team. What’s working well? What’s still confusing or underused? Gathering feedback early ensures that any barriers to adoption are addressed before they become habits.
Here’s how to approach the feedback stage:
- Ask youth leaders and volunteers how easy it’s been to communicate via Joyned
- Check in with parents and ask: Are they seeing updates? Do they find Joyned helpful?
- Encourage youth participants to share what they like and what could be improved
- Review whether key updates are being read or acknowledged: are people engaging?
This step isn’t about perfection. It’s about learning what’s needed to tailor Joyned for your church, making it a natural part of how your ministry communicates. The goal is sustainable, secure, and inclusive communication. With regular feedback and a willingness to tweak how Joyned is being used, you’ll set your youth team up for long-term success.
Why Start with the Youth Ministry?
Youth ministry plays a vital role in shaping lifelong faith and building church connection, for both young people and their families. Introducing Joyned into this context:
- Strengthens the bridge between church and home
- Supports safe, engaging church communication and culture
- Equips church leaders to serve better
- Lays the foundation for wider adoption across the church
A well-run youth group is a natural entry point for broader church engagement and Joyned helps make these connections safer, simpler, and stronger.
Final Thoughts: From Trial to Transformation
Bringing Joyned into your youth ministry isn’t just a tech upgrade, it’s a step towards safer, clearer, and more inclusive youth communication. When your youth can share updates, support requests, and encouragement in one secure place, it strengthens trust and this has ripple effects across your whole church community.
Successful onboarding doesn’t happen by chance. It takes time, encouragement, and the right support to help youth members and leaders shift their habits and make Joyned part of their daily life. If you’d like help getting started, we’re here for that. From setup to best practices, our team works with churches to make the transition smooth and stress-free.
Do you want support rolling Joyned out in your youth group? Book a call with our team, we’d love to help.
And if you’d like to roll out Joyned across your church communities, here’s how to take Joyned live in just 14 days.
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