How To Balance Fun And Discipleship

We’re led to believe that youth ministry that’s too much fun is simply entertainment.  And a youth ministry that is all about theology is boring and even irrelevant.

Courtesy of Gabriel Rojas Hruska/Creative Commons License

You want to teach truth, but you don’t know if teens will lose interest.  You want to have fun but you don’t know if it’ll water down the faith.  The problem is that:

YOU ARE AFRAID

You might be afraid of what others think. You might be afraid of being judged. You might be afraid of being rejected and facing failure.  But, you can’t be afraid.

Instead you need to recognize that youth ministry can be entertaining and it can be deep.  You just need to:

LIVE IN THE TENSION

You aren’t going to find a crisp clear line and that’s because youth ministry is messy.  Live in the tension successfully by:

• Having a team that holds you accountable.

• Constantly analyzing and evaluate what you do.

• Asking God for guidance and clarity.

While tension isn’t easy, it is rewarding.  It’ll help you grow and reach new levels.

UNDERSTAND YOUR IDENTITY

You need to know why your youth ministry exists.  If you can’t answer that question then you won’t know your purpose.  To understand that identity you need to know the:

• Vision

• Mission

• Values

• Target Audience

When you understand your purpose it’ll help you build a strategy to bring teens closer to Christ.

GROW WITH THE ENTIRE ORGANIZATION

Silo ministries are never successful.  If there is any dysfunction teens will sense it and stay away.  You, your coworkers and your pastor need to be on the same page.  When you can you’ll learn how to have fun together and challenge each other to grow.

It will not matter how much time you put into your ministry.  It will fail if you don’t have the support of others.  And that support only comes when you are growing with them.  Make organizational health a priority (For more organizational health click HERE)

MAKE TRUST A PRIORITY

Before you can lay down heavy truth you need to know teens trust you.  Fun can build trust.  It will show that you are human.  They want a realistic role model, be as authentic as possible.

It might feel like entertaining at first, but in the end it will pave the way for hard conversations.  You can also build trust when you:

• Cultivate small groups.

• Develop a system for hospitality.

• Share your personal testimony and encourage others to do the same.

Relational ministry can lead to fun ministry and deepening discipleship.  You just need to make sure you provide opportunities to build trust.

To make sure your ministry isn’t simply entertainment take time to look at it.  It’s a lot of work at first, but in the end people will have fun and grow.