Having fun yet?

Last week, I was confronted about the youth group and the perception that we have too much fun. The person said that we don’t do enough service projects and that our teens need to understand that life is not all about having fun. Point taken. It could stop there if that were the first person to talk about the youth group and the perception that we are just out in the O having fun. I have heard rumblings before, but never heard the words uttered. So what can I say? This…


1. Youth ministry has changed in the last 5 years and morphed over the last 10-20 years into something that someone who isn’t working with teens would understand. There are so many options and things pulling for the attention of these kids that you MUST have a pull. You MUST have something that causes them to make Youth Group a priority. It isn’t like it used to be when the YG was made up of church kids. Half of our kids their parents don’t even come to church! On Sunday nights, that is all the God they know throughout their week. No bible study, no small group, no Sunday school, nothing. You have to have something that gets them here. I pray that God will guide and direct me to find things that will bring these kids in and keep them coming. You have to build relationships with the kids before you can do anything else. That is part of where Youth ministry has gone. Plain and simple.

2. Kids usually only talk about the fun stuff. We did a promo for the youth conference last December and almost all of the kids said they wanted to go because it was fun. Now, think back to when you were a teenager…I’ll wait…ok…now when someone asked you why you wanted to go to an event that didn’t include your parents or sitting with relatives, what would your first answer be? Honestly, these kids are still becoming who they will be for the rest of their lives. Cut them some slack…and me too.

3. I try to make everything I do intentional. I want our kids to go do mission work. I would love it for our teens to go on a missions trip and we are trying to plan one. Still, don’t say that all we do out at the O is fun and that they need to know life isn’t all about having fun. We are trying to instill in these kids character and integrity and trying to help them build a foundation for the rest of their lives. You are right, we do have a lot of fun…that is intentional too. But don’t you think for one minute that that is all we are doing out here. I could go over the number of students who are growing and maturing into what God has called them to.

With all of that said…point taken, we do need to reach out to the community more and I will accept blame for that.