Age Group Activities?

[Kayla]

What type of activities do you do with your youth or college and career group?

[Guest Guest]

We don't have a youth group. We try to be as family integrated as possible at church so if the youth wanted to do something together they'd have to organize it all themselves and it wouldn't be a "church" event.

[Kayla]

That's too bad for those teens who don't have a family in church.

[Guest Guest]

Our whole church loves it the way it is. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. :smile

[Kayla]

Does your church think it is wrong to have youth activities? College and Career age activities?

[OLD fashioned preacher]

Youth and C&C? We have a youth rally every 3 months, in order to have 2 dozen "youth" @ it we include ages 12-25 and have churches driving up to 100 miles to participate. Whichever church is hosting @ that time sets the activities, but one consistant one is the "Bible Bowl". We are given a heads up as to what book or section of chpts the questions will be from (each pastor comes with several questions, no one pastor knows what all the questions are so no group can prepare by being drilled with the actual questions), the church that wins gets to keep the "golden cowpie" and bring it to the next rally. So far, we have still it in our possession - in preparation some of our young people have memorized half of the book of James, read the book to be questioned on as many as 15 times, etc. They have LOVED it. We have had Sword drills, Scripture scavenger hunts, hookiebobbin', waterballoon volleyball, waterballoon baseball, wallyball (volleyball in a racketball court where you can use the walls and ceiling), etc. I also use our young people in the nursing home ministry, rotate our piano players, have young people playing other instruments during congregationals, helping during work days @ church, partnered w/ someone on visitation, helping take up the offering. If you draw a line in a circle 125 miles out from our church in all directions - within that circle are only 8 ind bapt churches including ours.

[OLD fashioned preacher]

Every 3 weeks we have some kind of activity for the youth, isn't elaborate or expensive but is an opportunity for fellowship. 2 sets of adults are there and they (the activities) are planned and carried out by 3 of our young 17-25 yr olds

[Kayla]

That sounds so neat.

[Guest Guest]

Kayla, as far as I know the church doesn't think it's "wrong" but they think it's not "best practice". We believe that age segregated activities have caused more problems than they have solved. However that is the beauty of being in an INDEPENDENT Baptist church...we have the liberty to not have those kinds of activities and to not be told we have to. :smile As for my husband and I, if we ever move we'd rather have our family in another family-focused church like this one. We do have all age Sunday School, it's the one thing we do have at church, and it's BEFORE the church service so that all children are in the service.

[Marcus2Israel]

I think her main point MrsW was that for teens without a family it probably isn't that great.

[Kayla]

Kayla' date=' as far as I know the church doesn't think it's "wrong" but they think it's not "best practice". We believe that age segregated activities have caused more problems than they have solved. However that is the beauty of being in an INDEPENDENT Baptist church...we have the liberty to not have those kinds of activities and to not be told we have to. :smile As for my husband and I, if we ever move we'd rather have our family in another family-focused church like this one. We do have all age Sunday School, it's the one thing we do have at church, and it's BEFORE the church service so that all children are in the service.[/quote']
I am supposing your church doesn't have a bus ministry either? Too bad for those kids.

[OLD fashioned preacher]

I may be wrong, but I believe that the previous post is a bit misrepresentative of MrsW's point (though unintentional). If kids (and adults) are constantly kept within the realm of their peers (based on close age) they do not comfortably interact with much younger and much older. We bring in about 20-25 kids on our bus, many are undisciplined. My junior church workers are creative, energetic, and work toward a 3 fold end: give them Biblical teaching on salvation, teach them appropriate behavior, be as illustrative as possible in messages (if they keep coming back under the gospel, they might get under conviction and get saved). Ages 12+ MUST stay upstairs in the regular services. We have a nursery, but I NEVER tell someone to take a fussy child there - that is the parent's decision. We have a couple of families who work on trying to involve the other children in w/ their families during activities (the reason we designate a "youth" activity is because we have seen some bus parents sent 2 little ones w/ the older one to get them out of their hair and get a free bite of food, the older one gets discouraged & quits coming to activities because of a selfish parent). I also don't teach the "adult" SS class so I can be in the other classes occasionally in order to not just be "the guy who preaches upstairs" to those kids (yes, I know a kid is a baby goat - children :smile ). That was a little intimidating @ 1st to the teachers, but they're more relaxed w/ it now. Don't know exactly how they do it @ MrsW's church, that's what we do, just saying there is much merit to her points.

[Kayla]

I was not trying to attack MrsW but so many churches forget these teens who come off the bus and they are not going to know how to react to church without guidance and teaching. Without youth activities you leave these teens in the cold and they will not come back to church. There is no one encouraging them to come to church. In my church when they turn 12 they go to church with Pastor. They sit together in a group, I am not saying we should have junior churches for them but certainly we should reach out to them through youth activities. It seems like the churches that are growing have thriving young people ministries.

[OLD fashioned preacher]

Wasn't tying to imply any attack which is why I said IF there was any misrepresentation it was probably unintentional, I know sometimes things done different from the norm of an individual's experience can seem strange and there was no detailed explanation of reasons or operative details given. Again, our operations may be somewhere between what you are used to and what she is used to - but as she said, that is PART of being ind baptist.

[OLD fashioned preacher]

Incidentally, it has been my experience in the last 35+ yrs of ministry (in church, on the street, in juv facilities) that young people will accept truth from someone w/ a real concern for them without it having to be couched in "kid gloves" manner better than adults. They can handle it straight and hard as long as you care, and are real. I told one young man "next time - how 'bout not coming to church looking like you're here to play soccer" - resulted in 3 different kids coming decently clothed afterwards (I don't mean suit & tie - they have probably never had one on in their life).