Three Youth Ministry Reminders for This Fall
Fall is in the air! Pumpkin spice lattes are back and thrilling games and move-to-tears sermons are prepped for this year's schedule. As we jump into another year of student ministry, I want to remind my fellow student ministry leaders to not forget that, sometimes, simple is best.
We can find ourselves so wrapped up in the programming and making the youth budget (or, even lack of budget) work, that we forget that the simplest of events can be the most effective. One of my favorite youth ministry resources is the Dinner for Six event. The goal of Dinner for Six is simple and the execution is easy. Bring six students together, feed them, and play games with them. If there’s time and you feel led, you can throw in a devotion.
The overall event reminds us not to forget these three important things as we lead a student ministry this year:
Keep it Simple
Fun, exciting events are great! We love them! But, sometimes, the simple get-togethers, like the Dinner for Six, the Bible studies, and the small groups are just effective as the big events. They bring people together and lead to great conversations and connections!
Stay Authentic
The younger culture craves authenticity. They live their lives watching the highlight reels of other people play before them on social media. Dinner for Six, and events like this one, require us to open the doors of our homes to our students and this is a great reminder to be an authentic person. Who they see inside the church should be the same person that they see sitting around the dinner table with them.
The smaller gathering also allows students to get to know you, their leader, better. Your students need you. They need more than a sermon on Sunday, but they need to get to know you and, in doing so, come to understand that you care about them and you’re there for them.
Encourage Relationship
We were made for relationships. Dinner for Six is all about fostering connection. It encourages our students to get to know each other and it allows us to really get to know our students. They need other students that love Jesus to walk this journey with them. Fun experiences with a small group of students can lead to life lifelong relationships!
Six students and a leader or two sitting around a table visiting, laughing, eating, and playing games may not seem like a revolutionary concept or event, but this simple event is one that can bring great depth to your student ministry.