Having fun with your students should be a pretty important part of your youth ministry strategy. That’s because having fun with your students will lead to better relationships — and quality ministry can’t happen without quality relationships. Youth group activities and games are simply one way to grow your relationships by having fun together.
No, youth group games aren’t mandatory to youth ministry, but having fun definitely is.
BUT AREN’T GAMES JUST A DISTRACTION FROM THE MORE IMPORTANT STUFF?
We all want to teach teenagers about Jesus more effectively, of course. That’s why we got into youth ministry — not because we wanted to be professional obstacle-course-makers. But let’s be honest — it’s not always easy to get students to care about what want to teach them. It’s challenging enough to teach adults, but to teach teenagers whose brains are in different stages of development than our own is a challenge most of us were never really trained to do.
When we think about how to teach teenagers about Jesus effectively, we probably jump immediately to what we might think of as the “most important” stuff, like what we’re going to say in our sermons. But the truth is, the process of learning should begin before the sermon ever begins. And the right game can be one of the things that helps with that.
That’s because, for many teenagers, the biggest barrier keeping them from learning isn’t cognitive or even spiritual — it’s emotional.
When the average teenager walks into your program, they’re probably not asking, “What am I going to learn about Jesus today?” (Although some will, of course!) Most students are probably asking…
- Am I welcome here?
- Do these people like me?
- Do they really know or care about me?
So, no, a time of fun and games doesn’t distract from the “more important” stuff — the fun actually prepares students to receive what you want to teach and discuss! They work hand-in-hand. The fun stuff ultimately helps teenagers learn by…
- Breaking down emotional walls that prevent students from really hearing what is taught and discussed.
- Helping them feel known and loved — because when you take the time to find the kinds of games that connect with your students, you let them know you want to spend time with them on their terms.
- Connecting them with their peers and trusted adults, which makes it even more likely that they will engage in conversations that help them discover and apply truth together.
