Sometimes We Just Have Fun

When I was a teenager, I attended a fairly large number of youth group events. Some were hosted by the church I grew up in. Some I attended because friends invited me and they seemed like they’d be fun. Unfortunately, a lot of them ended up following the same script.

We’d play some games. Maybe we were there to watch the Super Bowl, or celebrate a holiday or the start of the school year. One time it was a birthday party for the church. The flyer that drew most of the kids there promised food, games, and prizes. A 2 or 3 hour event included mostly hijinks… and a 10-minute presentation about Jesus that was over before most of the kids even realized what was happening.

Especially to the kids in the crowd who hadn’t yet come to know Jesus, it always felt like a sort of bait-and-switch. They were brought in for the fun, and they got hit with a suddenly serious presentation of the Gospel that never quite seemed to get past surface level. I am sure the intentions were good, but it didn’t hit the mark.

“They were brought in for the fun, and they got hit with a suddenly serious presentation of the Gospel that never quite seemed to get past surface level.”

I’m also sure some kid, somewhere, credits one of these rapid fire Gospel presentations for their coming to know Jesus, but most of the time, it just lead to bored kids who were anxiously waiting for whatever game or dessert comes after the message. Worse, students subconsciously believe that the adult leaders at those events only went through the effort of throwing together all the fun so they could shoehorn in that quick talk.

That’s why we don’t believe in the bait-and-switch approach.

Sometimes, we just get together to have fun. Whether it’s a movie night, or video games, or a competition, we want to always be transparent about what a youth event is going to look like. Many of them (like our weekly gatherings) will have a balance of fun and teaching, but we always intend to communicate that. We don’t want to bring students in the door promising everything except the Bible and then blindside them. We’re pretty honest that most events will include teaching and a direct beeline to the Gospel. A few won’t, and that’s okay, because we’re called to build relationships.

So if you get an email for a Student Ministry event at CrossWay and you’re wondering what the underlying intention is — sometimes we just have fun. It turns out, students trust leaders more when they know they enjoy spending time with them, and we do!

- Justin

Why Our Student Ministry Schedule Is How It Is

If you’re taking a look at our Student Ministry schedule, and you’re wondering how we arrived on the days and structure, I don’t blame you! There are some natural questions when you see three different weekly events for our youth group students. Here are a few things you should know:

SMALL GROUPS ARE FIRST PRIORITY

When we put the schedule together, our most important piece was having leaders, locations, and a schedule that allows us to commit to consistent small groups. For us, that means Monday nights, with Middle School students meeting at the church and High School students meeting at their leaders’ houses. By having a dedicated small group night, it also means we won’t lose small group meetings due to large group meetings or other special events. This is hugely important to us. Gender-separated small groups are where a lot of the work gets done in drawing students closer to the Lord.

MIDDLE SCHOOLERS AND HIGH SCHOOLERS ARE DIFFERENT

While we will still have plenty of special events that bring our Middle School and High School students together, there are a lot of reasons why it makes sense to give them separate spaces to operate. They’re in different developmental places. They have different levels of understanding. Different leaders with different gifting work better with different aged students. This schedule lets us reach these students where they’re at. Sometimes it makes sense to get everyone together, but we don’t want to do it just to be convenient.

SMALL AND LARGE GROUP DO DIFFERENT THINGS

Small groups on Monday and large group on Wednesday? Why not just roll it all together in one night? It’s because these two meetings really are designed to do different things.

Our small groups are gender-separated spaces where students build strong relationships with their peers and leaders. They join together in Bible study and prayer with people they’re developing deeper connection to. Students who are truly seeking to increase their understanding of the Gospel are well served.

Our large groups are a little different. Things get louder. Guys and girls spend some needed time interacting with each other. The lessons are aimed at big picture affirmations of who Jesus is, and who our students are made to be. While the pieces are similar (fellowship, prayer, teaching), the environment is different. Some students will thrive in small groups. Others will thrive in large group. Many will benefit in their walk with the Lord from both. That’s why they’re both part of our Student Ministry calendar.

WE’RE TRUSTING THE LORD WITH THE PLAN

This schedule was made with a lot of prayer and discussion. It can always change. We’re not interested in doing things because of ritual or because we’ve grown to expect it. We’re interested in doing the most faithful thing. For now, this is where we believe we are called to go, with our time, with our leaders, and with our students. We can’t wait to see what else God chooses to do!

Justin (Pastoral Intern and Student Ministry Leader)