If you’ve been assigned a Young Woman as your Relief Society ministering companion, you may have mixed feelings about it. You want to teach and include her. But you may also worry that having a teenager along will make your visits feel less personal for the sisters you serve. I get it! That tension is real. But, it’s also an opportunity.

Ministering with young women lets us show the next generation what it looks like to notice, remember, and show up for someone. These teens will be Relief Society sisters before we know it, and what they learn alongside us now shapes how they’ll minister for the rest of their lives.

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Tips & Ideas for Ministering With Young Women

Below are more than 70 practical ministering ideas for companionships that include a Young Woman. They’re grouped by category so you can pick what fits your sisters, your companion, and your season of life.

Start by Reframing the Companionship

The biggest shift happens before you ever knock on a door. When a young woman feels like a real companion instead of someone tagging along, everything changes.

• Treat her as a companion, not a passenger. Ask her opinion before each contact: “Who do you think we should check on this week?” or “What do you think Sister ___ would enjoy?”
• Give her one specific job per visit. She might bring the treat, share a thought, ask the opening question, or write the follow-up note.
• Explain what ministering actually is. Many teens think ministering means a scheduled visit. Help her see that it’s really about noticing, remembering, and showing up. I like to think of it as being a ‘true friend.’ We should all know what that looks like.
• Debrief after every contact. On the way home, ask: “What did you notice? What do you think she needs? What should we do next?” This is where most of the teaching happens. It will open the YW’s mind to what she just experienced and teach her the importance of being socially aware.
• Pray together. Pray before a visit or for the sisters you serve, and let her offer the prayer sometimes. I like to ask for the gift of discernment, to help me understand what is being shared by our sister and to also hear what isn’t being said.
• Be mindful. Having a teen as your companion can hold your sister back from opening up about bigger concerns she may have. It’s okay to *sometimes* have visits without your YW companion. Take your sister to lunch, for a walk, of even have a home visit. It’s okay to have some adult-time, especially when you feel it’s necessary. But, do your best to include your companion as often as you can.

Ministering Visit Ideas That Work Better With a Teenager

Sitting on a couch making small talk can feel awkward for a teen. Visits built around an activity are often more natural for everyone.

• Choose activity-based visits. Bake cookies, decorate for a holiday, plant bulbs, or work on a puzzle together.
• Help with a project. Rake leaves, wash windows, organize a pantry, or put up Christmas lights.
• Teach a skill both ways. The sister teaches the young woman to crochet, can peaches, or make bread. The young woman teaches her a phone or social media trick.
• Bring a game. Uno, Skip-Bo, or another simple card game works well, especially for older or homebound sisters.
• Take a walk together around the neighborhood or at a local park.
• Go out for a treat. Grab hot chocolate, ice cream, or a drink together.
• Help with family history. Teens are often great with FamilySearch, indexing, or scanning old photos.
• Interview the sister. Let the young woman ask about her childhood, her conversion story, or how she met her husband. Older sisters often love this, and it builds a real bond.
• Do a recipe swap. The young woman learns the sister’s favorite recipe and makes it at home.

Small and Simple Ministering Ideas

Not every contact needs to be a visit. Teaching a young woman that small things count may be one of the most valuable lessons she learns.

• Make doorstep drops with a note, like seasonal treats, a plant, a candle, or a printed quote.
• Write handwritten cards for birthdays, difficult anniversaries, missionary farewells, or just because. Let the young woman design them.
• Send texts and photos. The young woman can send a funny picture, a favorite scripture, or “Good luck at your appointment today!”
• Sit by them at church, or save them a seat.
• Say hello in the hallway on Sundays, and teach the young woman that this counts too.
• Remember important dates in a shared note: birthdays, kids’ names, upcoming surgeries, and job interviews.
• Celebrate wins like a new job, new baby, finished project, or even when someone in their family has a ‘win.’

Seasonal and Holiday Ministering Ideas

Holidays give you a natural reason to reach out.

• Fall: Paint pumpkins, make caramel apples, or drop off a bag of fall treats.
• Thanksgiving: Write a gratitude card naming something specific you appreciate about her.
• Christmas: Bring by a Christmas treat or poinsettia (Costco always has beautiful ones!), help wrap presents, or babysit kids for Christmas shopping.
• Valentine’s Day: Deliver “we love you” notes or flowers, especially to your single and widowed sisters.
• Easter: Make an Easter basket for her, put together a General Conference kit, or give a simple Christ-centered card.
• Summer: Bring her favorite ice cream, go for a hike/walk, or pick her up and go chat at the local soda shop.
• Birthdays: Let the young woman bring something homemade, choose a small gift, or write a card with everything you both admire about your sister.

Spiritual Ways the Young Woman Can Contribute With Ministering

Ministering is ultimately about helping people come closer to the Savior. Young women can take part in that in simple, meaningful ways.

• Share a favorite scripture or talk and explain why it matters to her.
• Bear a short testimony. Start small, even a single sentence.
• Share something from Seminary or Young Women class that week.
• Add your sisters name to the temple prayer rolls. Does your Young Woman companion know how to do this and why we do it?
• Talk about the Young Women program with your sister. Did she attend as a youth? Has she served in YW? They often have wonderful stories to share.

How to Keep Ministering Personal With a Youth Companion

This is the part many of us worry about most. Here are ways to protect the closeness of your relationships while still including your companion.

• Have some contacts of your own. Ministering isn’t only formal visits, so a text, a phone call, or a quick drop-in on your own still counts. Check with your ward Relief Society presidency on how they’d like companionships to work, but there’s usually room for flexibility.
• Teach the YW about confidentiality. Explain that what sisters share stays private, and that keeping confidences is part of being someone people can trust.
• Choose visits by need. As mentioned above, if a sister is going through something tender, like a divorce, grief, or a health crisis, make that a one-on-one contact and save companion visits for lighter moments.
• Ask the sister directly. “Is it okay with we both come, or would you rather it just be me this time?”

Mentoring Your Young Woman Companion

Don’t forget that your companion is also someone you’re ministering to.

• Ask about her life on the drive over. If it helps, jot down notes after your visit, so you can refresh your mind the next time you’re together.
• Share your own ministering stories, including the times it felt awkward and the times it mattered. Never hesitate to share your testimony.
• Normalize the awkwardness. Tell her it’s okay not to know what to say, and that showing up is most of it.
• Let her see you fail and try again. If you forget a birthday, apologize and follow up, and let her watch you do it.
• Help her see her value. Teens often bring a lightness that older or lonely sisters love.
• Connect ministering to her future. Help her see how this prepares her for a mission, motherhood, Relief Society, and lifelong friendships.
• Celebrate her. Tell her parents or Young Women leaders when she does something kind, helpful, or has something to celebrate.

Practical Logistics for Youth Ministering Companionships

A little planning goes a long way with busy teenagers.

• Plan around her schedule. School, sports, and jobs keep teens busy, so plan ahead and keep visits short.
• Use a shared calendar or group text with her and a parent. Or, ask her parent if they’re okay with you texting her about ministering.
• Rotate who plans. Take turns deciding on the ministering method. Be flexible, especially if she’s willing to share an idea.

Tips for Ward Relief Society Presidents

If you lead a Relief Society, you can help these companionships succeed.

• Pair thoughtfully. Match young women with adults they already know, or with sisters who share an interest, or someone who could be a positive influence in their life. Explain the WHY of the pairing to the adult companion, to inspire greater efforts to be made with their youth companion.
• Hold a short training with Relief Society and Young Women together on what ministering means.
• Meet with the Young Women’s President to gain her support for the Relief Society and ministering program. Consider ways that the two organizations can work together to make a seamless transition from YW to RS. Also, ask about each girl, particular needs they may have when assigning a companion/sisters, etc.
• Share success stories in Relief Society or Young Women meetings.
• Plan a RS activity focused on ministering. Maybe the sisters can make a fun craft or treat to give to their ministering sister.
• Check in with the young women themselves, not just the adult companion. This is not an official interview, but maybe the youth has questions or concerns. Their thoughts matter!

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Ministering with a young woman may not look like the visiting teaching we got used to, but it can be some of the most meaningful service we do… a higher and holier work! When we invite a teenager into the work, we’re not just serving the sisters on our list. We’re helping prepare a future Relief Society sister to love the way the Savior loves. (Print this blog post here!)

If you liked these ideas for including Young Women in the ministering program, check out: 

1. 13 Creative and Fun Ministering Interview Ideas for Relief Society Presidencies
2. LDS Gender Roles Learned in the Temple – Being Cleansed from Blood and Sins
3. 26 Outreach Ideas for Latter-day Saint Wards and Missionaries

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